Gordon Downie's oblique, literate songwriting is a joy to experience. "You said you didn't give a f*ck about hockey/and I never saw someone say that before/you held my hand and we walked home the long way/you were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr" (from "Fireworks") - there's the burgeoning crush, the clash of man and woman, all couched within a sports reference. Another song, "Membership" uses the current of a river as a metaphor for surrending the self to love and life.
Downie's singing swoops, soars, and stuttersteps through the material, even trying a falsetto chorus during the bouncy, acoustic "Thompson Girl". With their backing vocals, guitarist Paul Langlois and bassist Gord Sinclair offer a distinctive, welcome counterpoint.
Rounded out by drummer Johnny Fay and guitarist Rob Baker, the Hip shuffle tempos from rock ("Save the Planet", "Poets") to ballads ("Bobcaygeon", "The Rules") to somewhere in-between ("Chagrin Falls", "Emperor Penguin"). This album will please the longtime fan and enchant the newcomer - what more to ask for?
The Hip also have one of the best Web presences around at http://www.thehip.com . Check out their site and see how these songs germinated and grew. Fascinating reading.
