07-03-2004, 10:17 AM
"Downie writes not out of a need to heal his own scars, but in hopes of getting everyone else see the good and the beauty that's out there."
I think this quote for me sums up years of Gord Downie lyrics.
I stole this review from the Hip newsgroup, and it is just from some guy.
The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution
Posted by Tom Johnson on June 28, 2004 07:20 PM (See all posts by Tom Johnson)
Filed under: Music, Music: Rock
Canada's other big musical offering (besides Rush, not to mention Neil Young,)
the Tragically Hip, have been turning out high-quality rock for nearly two
decades now. A staple in their homeland, the Hip is hardly known in the US.
Their latest effort, In Between Evolution, seems to be a concerted effort to
break through to a little more exposure in the states. Unfortunately, as with
most efforts to break through, it suffers from a few flaws. Minor as they may
be, it's unfortunate to see a band struggling to get attention. Explaining that
the Hip deserve the attention should be unnecessary - but as with all things
truly good, it generally misses the attention of the public at large who seem
to need things more watered down and generalized.
The problem with In Between Evolution is that it sounds, in a way, like two
separate pieces - a short section of "different" material (for the Tragically
Hip, at least) followed up by a too-short album of traditional Hip material.
The album kicks off in high gear with the raw, almost-punk energy of "Heaven Is
A Better Place Today," singer Gord Downie straining to reach the upper echelons
of his vocal range. In some respects, it's as if the Hip made a conscious
effort to resurrect a bit of the "hard rock" sound they shed after their first
couple of albums Up To Here and Road Apples - with mixed results. It's not as
if these first three songs are bad songs - they just seem to lack some of the
heart this band pours into their music. There's an odd transition between "Gus
The Polar Bear From Central Park" and "Vaccination Scar" that illustrates the
change that happened in the band between the classic Day For Night and the
follow-up Trouble At The Henhouse - from a rock band with thoughtful lyrics to
a thoughtful band that happens to rock. Between tracks three and four, the
tempos change, the attitude changes, the song structures change, and that's a
good thing - I don't think I would have gotten that much out of an entire album
filled with that many out-and-out rockers, to be honest. What I've come to love
with the Hip is an ability to straddle folk-rock and hard rock, favoring just
slightly the folk-side of things due to Downie's intriguing, oft-humorous, but
always thoughtful lyrics.
Maybe the blame lays with producer Adam Kasper - known most significantly for
his work with the Foo Fighters' last two albums, both of which possessed a
decidedly harder edge than their predecessors. Throughout the album the guitars
are turned up loud, panned hard left and right, drowning out Downie's voice
that floats right down the center of the soundstage. I find myself straining
often to make out what Gord is singing - a shame with lyrics as impressive as
his always are. This is likely a purposeful effect to play down the band's true
signature, Downie's trademark tuneful, choked warbling. It's no secret that the
Hip have struggled to take off in the US while enjoying massive success in
their homeland. Where the Hip are basically Canada's answer to Pearl Jam, in
the States the Hip have barely made a dent in the market. The band frequently
sells out arenas at home, but it's nothing unusual to find them playing small
clubs stateside. When I've played the Hip for the unitiated it's always been
Downie's soft barkings that draw the most comments. "You get used to it," I say
frequently, but I don't believe it - I've always enjoyed Gord's voice and have
never understood how it turns people off. What is there to "get used to"?
Gord's slightly nasal delivery is no less characteristic than Michael Stipe's
voice, yet it somehow manages to stand out just enough to throw off newcomers.
Perhaps it's because it's unfamiliar and unusual - when it comes to the
unfamiliar and unusual it appears that US listeners are most hesitant. American
audiences need their rock verified - maybe we got burned on too much
meaningless, throwaway rock the labels threw at us for so long, who knows. All
I can say is that before most Americans can commit to something, we need to
know the music is good by seeing it endorsing commercials, backing action
sequences and love scenes in movies, or hawked at the end of meaningless teen
dramas. Without that, sorry guys, we just can't determine if it's any good.
(But we have no problem downloading mp3 after mp3 of pop pablum. We've got no
issues spending hours downloading the latest sound-alike tune from Nickelback -
they did, afterall, have a track in Spiderman a couple years back. But parting
with our hard-earned cash for something that might be different sounding? No
way, we're not having it.)
The identity issues evident early on in the album are erased quickly with
multiple listens as the album finds its own groove and pacing. I probably won't
ever be able to hear it as a single, solid piece, but upon inspection, I can't
find a better place for the three oddballs on the album than right up front -
get 'em out of the way so they don't throw off a good flow later on. Placing
them at the end would blow the emotional closer, another Hip trademark.
Regardless of whether it's an up-tempo or down-tempo number, the Tragically Hip
has managed to end on a note of beauty with a track that always leaves you
wanting more. "Goodnight Josephine" is no different. An upbeat ballad of sorts
to a young girl lost, as far as I can tell, in the distractions of teenage
life, dating, and maybe abuse, "Goodnight Josephine" somehow manages to beat
the odds its subject matter might impose on other bands to actually wind up
sounding hopeful. And that's the thing that really keeps the Hip from making it
in the US. There's nary a song in their catalog about suffering, hurting
others, drowning sorrows - if you haven't been paying attention to what sells
today, these are sure-fire hit material. If the American music-buying public
can't openly sulk to their purchases, it has no place in their collections.
Downie writes not out of a need to heal his own scars, but in hopes of getting
everyone else see the good and the beauty that's out there. That's too bad -
it's hard to place happy, thoughtful songs in movies with lots of explosions
and over-emotive teens. We just can't get enough of that crap.
I think this quote for me sums up years of Gord Downie lyrics.
I stole this review from the Hip newsgroup, and it is just from some guy.
The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution
Posted by Tom Johnson on June 28, 2004 07:20 PM (See all posts by Tom Johnson)
Filed under: Music, Music: Rock
Canada's other big musical offering (besides Rush, not to mention Neil Young,)
the Tragically Hip, have been turning out high-quality rock for nearly two
decades now. A staple in their homeland, the Hip is hardly known in the US.
Their latest effort, In Between Evolution, seems to be a concerted effort to
break through to a little more exposure in the states. Unfortunately, as with
most efforts to break through, it suffers from a few flaws. Minor as they may
be, it's unfortunate to see a band struggling to get attention. Explaining that
the Hip deserve the attention should be unnecessary - but as with all things
truly good, it generally misses the attention of the public at large who seem
to need things more watered down and generalized.
The problem with In Between Evolution is that it sounds, in a way, like two
separate pieces - a short section of "different" material (for the Tragically
Hip, at least) followed up by a too-short album of traditional Hip material.
The album kicks off in high gear with the raw, almost-punk energy of "Heaven Is
A Better Place Today," singer Gord Downie straining to reach the upper echelons
of his vocal range. In some respects, it's as if the Hip made a conscious
effort to resurrect a bit of the "hard rock" sound they shed after their first
couple of albums Up To Here and Road Apples - with mixed results. It's not as
if these first three songs are bad songs - they just seem to lack some of the
heart this band pours into their music. There's an odd transition between "Gus
The Polar Bear From Central Park" and "Vaccination Scar" that illustrates the
change that happened in the band between the classic Day For Night and the
follow-up Trouble At The Henhouse - from a rock band with thoughtful lyrics to
a thoughtful band that happens to rock. Between tracks three and four, the
tempos change, the attitude changes, the song structures change, and that's a
good thing - I don't think I would have gotten that much out of an entire album
filled with that many out-and-out rockers, to be honest. What I've come to love
with the Hip is an ability to straddle folk-rock and hard rock, favoring just
slightly the folk-side of things due to Downie's intriguing, oft-humorous, but
always thoughtful lyrics.
Maybe the blame lays with producer Adam Kasper - known most significantly for
his work with the Foo Fighters' last two albums, both of which possessed a
decidedly harder edge than their predecessors. Throughout the album the guitars
are turned up loud, panned hard left and right, drowning out Downie's voice
that floats right down the center of the soundstage. I find myself straining
often to make out what Gord is singing - a shame with lyrics as impressive as
his always are. This is likely a purposeful effect to play down the band's true
signature, Downie's trademark tuneful, choked warbling. It's no secret that the
Hip have struggled to take off in the US while enjoying massive success in
their homeland. Where the Hip are basically Canada's answer to Pearl Jam, in
the States the Hip have barely made a dent in the market. The band frequently
sells out arenas at home, but it's nothing unusual to find them playing small
clubs stateside. When I've played the Hip for the unitiated it's always been
Downie's soft barkings that draw the most comments. "You get used to it," I say
frequently, but I don't believe it - I've always enjoyed Gord's voice and have
never understood how it turns people off. What is there to "get used to"?
Gord's slightly nasal delivery is no less characteristic than Michael Stipe's
voice, yet it somehow manages to stand out just enough to throw off newcomers.
Perhaps it's because it's unfamiliar and unusual - when it comes to the
unfamiliar and unusual it appears that US listeners are most hesitant. American
audiences need their rock verified - maybe we got burned on too much
meaningless, throwaway rock the labels threw at us for so long, who knows. All
I can say is that before most Americans can commit to something, we need to
know the music is good by seeing it endorsing commercials, backing action
sequences and love scenes in movies, or hawked at the end of meaningless teen
dramas. Without that, sorry guys, we just can't determine if it's any good.
(But we have no problem downloading mp3 after mp3 of pop pablum. We've got no
issues spending hours downloading the latest sound-alike tune from Nickelback -
they did, afterall, have a track in Spiderman a couple years back. But parting
with our hard-earned cash for something that might be different sounding? No
way, we're not having it.)
The identity issues evident early on in the album are erased quickly with
multiple listens as the album finds its own groove and pacing. I probably won't
ever be able to hear it as a single, solid piece, but upon inspection, I can't
find a better place for the three oddballs on the album than right up front -
get 'em out of the way so they don't throw off a good flow later on. Placing
them at the end would blow the emotional closer, another Hip trademark.
Regardless of whether it's an up-tempo or down-tempo number, the Tragically Hip
has managed to end on a note of beauty with a track that always leaves you
wanting more. "Goodnight Josephine" is no different. An upbeat ballad of sorts
to a young girl lost, as far as I can tell, in the distractions of teenage
life, dating, and maybe abuse, "Goodnight Josephine" somehow manages to beat
the odds its subject matter might impose on other bands to actually wind up
sounding hopeful. And that's the thing that really keeps the Hip from making it
in the US. There's nary a song in their catalog about suffering, hurting
others, drowning sorrows - if you haven't been paying attention to what sells
today, these are sure-fire hit material. If the American music-buying public
can't openly sulk to their purchases, it has no place in their collections.
Downie writes not out of a need to heal his own scars, but in hopes of getting
everyone else see the good and the beauty that's out there. That's too bad -
it's hard to place happy, thoughtful songs in movies with lots of explosions
and over-emotive teens. We just can't get enough of that crap.
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
