Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all
- Emily Dickinson, "Hope is the Thing With Feathers"
If ever there was a band to sum up the Canadian character, it would be Kingston’s The Tragically Hip. From the sun-yellowed prairies of Saskatchewan to the heavin’ metropolis of Toronto, from the rain-soaked lanes of Vancouver to the warmth of Nova Scotia, The Hip have criss-crossed Canada with their tales of love, struggle, passion, glory, and hockey.
The quintet has poetically told the stories of thousands, keenly engaging in the beautiful accounts of the fisherman, the longshoreman, the waitress, the businesswoman, the lawmaker, the hockey player, the truck driver, the farmer.
And now, with the world to all appearances crumbling ‘round us, frontman Gordon Downie and the band return to draw us near, hold us close, and open our eyes.
The Hip have dispatched Bob Rock again to serve as producer. His work on 2006’s World Container helped shake something loose and it’s exciting to see the band continue on the same path with their eleventh, the aptly-titled We Are the Same.
Unity is the essential theme. The lyrics ring with devotion, humanity, assurance, and joy. The music, smart in its alt-country tang, surges forward with confidence and dexterity.
Downie, who once sang “For a good life, we just might have to weaken,” fearlessly asserts positive ground and compels his listeners, his host, to scuffle with their own reflections. Examination of the inner architecture of our very souls provides direction and grants us strength to carry on.
In this hurtlin’ gap, We Are the Same.
“Morning Moon” opens things up with a wonderful, crisp alt-country gait. The tune feels like it would be at home under paper lanterns at an Alberta barn party, delicately lighting the occupants as they pull together. Guitar accents the piece with affectionate twang.
Article comments
1 - mark
insightful review -- mm
2 - Tom Johnson
You're just trying to make me regret pre-ordering from thehip.com to get the free live disc that comes with it, huh Jordan? Or am I just trying to make you jealous of my free live show . . . conundrum!
3 - Jordan Richardson
Tom,
If you were trying to make me jealous, it worked!
4 - Tom Johnson
Well, they'll have it for sale on their site soon, if it's not already. If I'd known you were a Hip fan, I'd have warned you earlier . . .
5 - JC Mosquito
OK - this has to be the most listenable Hip album in years. Frankly, there's melodies, harmonies, verses, choruses - tings that have been difficult to find with any consistency on their past few offerings. It's not a return to the great rock albums from their early days - it's just that much poppier, lighter, less edgy perhaps, more mature for sure. Bob Rock's last production job for them was decent - I guess he needed one for practice. Hopefully We Are All the Same will one dday be recognized as a classic in Canadian rock.
6 - JC Mosquito
Sorry - "We Are the Same."
BUT ANYWAY - I forgot to say, the second last song, "Love is a First," sounds effortless yet rocks harder than many other song that expend more energy trying to be convincing. And the strings and horns in "Country Day' sound right out of the late 60s without sounding dated or corny.
Greatgawda'mighty - less talk, more music - that's enough outta me - just go out and buy it.