The Tragically Hip Albums (14)
What The Critics Say
Initial reaction to We Are the Same among longtime fans seemed to range, according to chit-chat on various blogs, from halting acceptance to outraged disdain. There is no denying that the latest from this now 26-year-old Canadian band bears little resemblance to the rawer, rootsier sound of the Hip's earliest works. But it's by no means a radical departure from 2006's World Container; it's more of an incremental step toward something less distinctive and more universally appealing in a commercial sense. Producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Mötley Crüe), who also took the reins for that last album, returns here on the band's 12th studio effort, applying a polish to these generic arrangements of largely uninspired lyrics and hackneyed tunes that undeniably takes the Hip closer to a mainstream -- or, rather, an edge-free, knuckle-dragging -- pop/rock sound. Some might call it a bloated overproduction and leave it at that, but the malaise is deeper than over-ambition, approaching something closer to creative bankruptcy. Perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising that, after so long in the game, the Hip might harbor a desire for greater recognition and choose a producer who can deliver what's been elusive all these years. And at isolated moments the drive to reinvent as something more Walmart-friendly succeeds: while there is a definite softer edge to most of these tracks, and an overall tameness, although that's not to say that theTragically Hip has abandoned everything that's identified them until now. Paul Langlois' and Rob Baker's guitars still scream and shout, or glimmer and shine, when required to, the rhythm section, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay, can kick up dust when given a chance, and Gordon Downie, when he's not over-emoting, still delivers his words convincingly and with emotion. The problem is more with the songs themselves and the gloss within which they are bathed: there is a derivativeness to much of the record, and a silliness to the fancy-pants settings they are given (strings abound, ballads plod, layers of unnecessary window dressing are added), a feeling that too many of these tunes were created with the sole desire to find a larger audience rather than to reflect what Downie and the band are really about after so much time together. It opens with a promising enough country-rocker, "Morning Moon," that would, in a more just world, be a huge hit single. And "Coffee Girl" too, with its bold, tasty trumpet, is the kind of perfectly crafted gem these guys have time and again proven they can turn out. But it quickly descends into pretense and earnestness with the back-to-back treacly "Now the Struggle Has a Name" and the nine-and-a-half-minute "The Depression Suite." With its oft-repeated tag line "Don't you wanna see how it ends?" the epic only has the undesired effect of causing the listener to say, "No, I don't, just end it already." From there, it stays in an abyss, as songs like "Love Is a First" (the first single), despite an attempt at rhythmic punch, and "Speed River" fail to drag the album back from the pit of mediocrity it's plunged into. At this point in their career the Tragically Hip should be making grander, more honest statements than this. We Are the Same is obviously meant to resurrect the band's fortunes rather than to further their artistry. Whether it does or doesn't find what it's seeking, its main accomplishment is that it drives the Tragically Hip closer to irrelevancy. And that's tragic. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
'Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2006: The Tragically Hip'
Release Date 11/7/2006
Tracks 7
Label Universal Canada
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
World Container, the Tragically Hip's eleventh studio LP, finds the Canadian quintet going for their biggest sound to date. Sure, their previous two albums -- 2002's In Violet Light and 2004's In Between Evolution -- found the band experimenting with a larger guitar-driven sound, but not in the same way that World Container reaches for the brightest sound imaginable. This ten-song set comes off with as much fever as the band's live shows, and frontman Gordon Downie finally captures his bona fide rock star appeal as a performer on record! Songs such as "Yer Not the Ocean" and "In View" retain that intoxicating energy that's made the Tragically Hip one of the decade's favorite concert draws. Working with veteran rock producer Bob Rock (Mötley Crüe, Metallica), was one smart move. As he did with Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood album, Rock zeroed in on what makes the Tragically Hip such a vital rock band -- the dual guitar attack of Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, and Downie's clever and poetic state of mind as expressed in his singing -- and drew it in, forcing the Tragically Hip to embrace a sonically richer sound while doing some soul searching for what rock & roll ultimately means to them. The swaggering hard rock leanings of "The Drop-Off" are as classic as anything from Day for Night, while gritty, anthemic moments like "The Kids Don't Get It" and "Luv (sic)" define the band's newfound rawness. "The Lonely End of the Rink," which debuted on Hockey Night in Canada one week prior to the album's Canadian release in October 2006, continues on that path with its U2-like, arena-sized guitar riffs, and Downie, too, has never sounded better. The poetic obliqueness that's carried his lyrics since the Tragically Hip's 1983 inception has obviously made him a Canadian celebrity, but Rock tossed such dramatics aside, encouraging Downie to really rip it all apart and say things in a more straightforward fashion. Getting back to a simple approach might have been a difficult find at first, but World Container does it all without losing sight of what the Tragically Hip have achieved in their 20-plus years in the business, once again solidifying their mark on alternative rock. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The first few seconds of In Between Evolution offer a summation in miniature of both why the Tragically Hip are so great and why mainstream success has eluded them, at least in the United States. A distorted guitar chimes out a road-ready riff, soon joined by a taut rhythm section. Then lead singer Gordon Downie shouts out "Here's a glue guy, a performance God," in a pinched howl that sounds like it's ready to veer off-key at any second. That combination of arena rock and indie sensibility is exactly what fans have come to expect from the band; the approach isn't all that different from Pearl Jam's more recent work, except that Downie's lyrics have always been, well, weirder and more literate than the hits that took Pearl Jam to the top of the charts. None of that explains why the Hip still sell out stadiums and sell millions of albums in their native Canada, but In Between Evolution is both accessible and challenging enough to satisfy longtime fans and newcomers. The slight dissonance that marks that opening track, "Heaven Is a Better Place Today," fits perfectly the combination of mourning and triumph that the band captures in the song, a tribute to hockey player Dan Snyder, who died in a car crash in late 2003. When Downie sings "If and when you get into that end zone, act like you've been there a thousand times before," he breathes new life into the tired sports cliché because what's come before is so evocative and honestly rendered, and also because there's not another cliché to be found for the duration of the album, which is one of the band's hardest rocking and most politically charged. "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night" takes aim at Toby Keith and the mindless, macho jingoism he represents, while "Gus: The Polar Bear from Central Park" further dissects the "us and them" mentality Downie sees overtaking the world around him, particularly in the U.S. As usual, guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois offer sympathetic accompaniment, giving "Gus" a sinewy, sinister feel that perfectly mirrors the lyrics' portrayal of a beast out to destroy whatever frightens it. The band thunders through almost every track, a juggernaut of guitars and drums that lets up only toward the end, easing back on the sonic assault on the rueful "Are We Family," where Downie tries to comprehend our common humanity in the face of a world where we're "taking care of each other one bullet to another." In Between Evolution is as rewarding as it is relentless, another fine addition to the Tragically Hip's catalog of thinking person's rock. ~ Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, All Music Guide
'In Violet Light'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 11
Label Universal Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Tragically Hip weren't particularly concerned with being a mainstream breakthrough by the time they issued their ninth album, In Violet Light. Phantom Power didn't do the job and the obscure Music @ Work was forgettable. Alas, the Hip didn't seem to mind. They don't bow to critics -- only to fans, and they're the reason why the band continues to sell records and sell out stadiums. The Tragically Hip are an honest man's band with an incomparable romance and fans are drawn to that. Their first for Rounder, In Violet Light is a tasteful blend of the band's sharp songcraft and Gordon Downie's classic poetic rants. Early on, Downie proclaims that there's "music that will make you feel great" on the celebratory "Use It Up." Name dropping Springsteen and Randy Newman around a song inspired by a Raymond Carver quote is clever and typically Hip. The ambitious drive of "Are You Ready," which is carried by the electric cross-fire of guitarists Paul Langlois and Bobby Baker, sparks enthusiasm whereas the airiness of "It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken" and "A Beautiful Thing" tame the band's dynamic disposition. The feverish "Silver Jet" is a great lyrical adventure; "The Dire Wolf" takes things a bit further with Wallace Stevens as its mainspring, soaring over the beauty of Newfoundland and the Bahamas. The Tragically Hip absorb their surroundings without getting lost, making In Violet Light a natural fit for loyalists. The lag of Trouble at the Henhouse is absent, while the matchless beauty of Fully Completely is reminiscent. The Tragically Hip have always followed their own formula and do it again with In Violet Light for a solid, cohesive piece of work. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Picking up where 1998's Phantom Power release left off, charming Canadian fivesome the Tragically Hip continue with their signature infectious tunes on their eighth studio album Music @ Work. Sensible songsmith and frontman Gordon Downie is classic in hitting upon notable issues and figures, and cites verses from John Cage on the temperamental track "Tiger the Lion." "The Bastard" and "Freak Turbulence" are both intimidating in the fact that the band does not let go emotionally or physically when churning out smashing percussion drives and swirling guitar riffs. "Toronto #4" is a little wispy. Perhaps that's why the Tragically Hip can make it playing arenas. Only attitude can get you that far. Look at U2 and R.E.M. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Canada's favorite boys the Tragically Hip push the sounds of heartland and down-home country-rock on their second album, Up to Here. This album also marks the band's first stateside release, and basically it's a record of burgeoning talent of what is yet to come from the Tragically Hip. Frontman Gordon Downie is raw and rugged, twisting American trad rock into gritty rock & roll. There's a lot of heart-felt emotion woven into pure musical swagger on songs like "New Orleans Is Sinking" and "When the Weight Comes Down." "Blow at High Dough" follows the lead of it's foot-stompin', hand-clappin' rock tracks. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In some ways, Phantom Power was positioned as a breakthrough record for the Tragically Hip. It was their first American studio record in two years, and it was given a push by their new label, Sire. All of these factors were needed for promotional purposes, since the record is very similar to all the other Tragically Hip albums that preceded it. The band has never quite delivered the power of their live shows on their records (even their live album), but that doesn't mean they make bad records -- they just make records that are uneven and mildly disappointing in comparison to what they are capable of achieving. It's not only in that respect that Phantom Power delivers the expected -- throughout the album, the Hip stick to their anthemic hard rock and boogie, turning in a couple of solid songs and a couple of middling tunes. It's what their fans have come to expect and even like, but it's hard not to feel like the group could deliver more. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Live Between Us'
Release Date 1/1/1997
Tracks 14
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Tragically Hip, one of Canada's musical merrymakers, are also praised for their raw, sweaty live performances. Frontman Gordon Downie is a real dynamo, lyrically and physically, and his bandmates only support the beautiful live chaos. With that aside, the Hip treated fans with their first ever live album, Live Between Us. Recorded while on tour in support of 1996's Trouble at the Henhouse, Live Between Us documents one of the band's more ambitious evenings without any technical tweaking. A very loyal Detroit audience is captured at the sold-out Cobo Arena and a very tight-knit and fiery Tragically Hip is in command. The unity between the Hip and their fans depicts something heavy. Downie's random improvising and loose poetic ramblings spark the intro of "Grace, Too." It creeps along with Johnny Fay's electric percussion, and already Live Between Us is steady, creatively stripped, and vibrant. The emotional rage of "Fully Completely" sets up the rest of the album, particularly the relaxed ballad "Ahead By a Century." Layered backing vocals and plucking acoustics depict the Hip's signature sincerity, and the sneaky rock snippets of David Bowie's "China Girl" and the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" midway through "New Orleans Is Sinking" flow without hesitance. Most stunning is his lyrical rant of Jane Siberry's "Temple" near the end of the taunting "Nautical Disaster." As a whole, the band is abrasive in a simplistic sense, making Live Between Us an intimate jam between the band members themselves and a shared moment with fans. The Tragically Hip have maintained their beloved status because of such grateful informality. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
'Trouble at the Henhouse'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 12
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With Trouble at the Henhouse, the Tragically Hip turned in an album that is in the same vein as their previous record, Day for Night. Although Trouble at the Henhouse would have benefited from a more gritty sound, the CD is a set of professional anthemic hard rock -- with occasionally dips into bar band boogie. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
