My Patriotic Act of the Day

I bought the new Tragically Hip album, In Between Evolution. Is there a more Canadian band than the Hip? Well, perhaps a few, but none can rock out like the Hip (for example, my experience seeing them in Dublin was seminal). The critics have been saying that this album is an improvement on previous efforts, and have been speaking disparagingly of Phantom Power and In Violet Light. I must be too loyal a fan, as I think those are great albums. Any CD that has “Poets”, “Bobcaygeon” and “Fireworks” is pretty exceptional if you ask me.

Regardless, In Between Evolution is something of a return to the Hip’s roots. It has a grungier, Up to Here
-era sound to it. The single, “Vaccination Scar”, features some slide guitar work that evokes “Blow at High Dough”. The thing I like about Hip albums is that they’re hard to like the first few times you listen to them. The lyrics are obscure, the mix thick and the songs all sound a bit too much alike. Over time, though, they start to distinguish themselves, and you’re rewarded for following along with the lyrics.

So far, the early stand-out is the mid-tempo “Are We Family” (a reversal, I suppose, of the Sister Sledge song). Gordon Downie’s lyrics are as obscure and evocative as ever:

here’s where he goes
pulling the puzzle apart
and here’s the scene
where you whisper down the crookedest street
‘are we family?’
or what?

Here’s a Hip tidbit I didn’t know. While searching for the lyrics to “Are We Family”, I rediscovered the impressive Hipbase. They didn’t have lyrics, but they do have an explanation of a number of songs in their FAQ. I was familiar with most of these, but hadn’t been aware that Inevitability of Death was, at least in part, about Terry Fox (who I just mentioned here). The lyrics make more sense, now that I read them. “Terry’s gift is forever green” is pretty obvious reference, and, in a way, he did cheat the inevitability of death just a little bit.

UPDATE: Another tidbit–check out the tribute band.