In Between Evolution [Import]

I've been following the Hip since the the beginning, and their evolution as a band is remarkable, as they've moved from raw in-your-face rock ("up to Here", Road Apples, "Fully Completely"), to a more sweeping, melodic power sound ("Day for Night" and "Trouble at the Henhouse") to a cleaner sound ("Phantom Power" and "Music at Work") and 2002's more refined, fully textured sounds of "In Violet Light". If you can appreciate that a band lives and grows, then the progression of these albums is pure bliss... Sure, lots of bands have great sounding music. The bonus? The Hip lyrics. They possesses a fierce intelligence, imagery, and playfulness that other bands cannot imitate. These lyrics, courtesy of Gord Downie, take this great band and make them truly unique in the music scene. a thinking man's band. No talking down or dumbing down the songs to make them more mainstream. Here's a band that gives you credit or being literate and intelligent. You can spend an afternoon reading the lyrics and trying to figure them out, but my suggestion is to listen the tunes first, then absorb the lyrics, which enhances the music so much more and makes them classics.

For the beginner, I'd probably recommend buying "Live Between Us", the live album which was released after "Trouble at the Henhouse" and covers the live sound and some of their best stuff from the previous albums. I know true Hip fans may cring at this recommendation as each album has it's own character and needs to be heard in its own right, but for those new to the Hip, it will give you a general sense of what these guys are like and where they've come from. Fan favourites, "Blow at High Dough", "Nautical Disaster", "Grace, Too", "Fifty Mission Cap", "Ahead by a Century", they're all there.

That being said... the new album? It's another evolution, out to the raw road sound and energy of their history. At first listen, it sounds like it was roughly produced and slammed together in a hurry, as the songs don't seem as polished as their recent albums, but when you give it a few listens, the intention becomes clearer and the songs are enhanced with the more organic vibe of the recording. What I've always admired about the Hip, and what will probably prevent them from attaining megastar status (millions of copies of a single album) is that they apply their craft to every song and every note. They don't blow you away with their catchy singles or media hype. They make fantastic albums and focus on creating an experience, rather than a hit single. These bands unfortunately suffer - we've seen so many of these bands that have been around for 10-20 years that still can't outsell one album from new acts like Nickelbach or Avril Lavigne. A blessing and a curse - The Hip just work and work and work on the road and in the studio with such slow burn intensity that an inferno is inevitable. A single from their album is like pulling out a chapter of a great book. It's good on its own, but it's brilliant as a whole.

The Hip have etched themselves into the Canadian musical landscape that they are not one of the first bands people think of anymore when they ask you about Canadian music. As a result will stand the test of time and repeated listens more than most bands and will never just fade away