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blogjohnsonofficial · 3 years

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Track By Track - The Tragically Hip - Saskadelphia

Artist: The Tragically Hip Album: Saskadelphia (2021) My Favorite Track: Not Necessary Surprise! Surprise! A new Hip album! Upon hearing that the iconic Canadian band have released an EP of “Road Apples” session leftovers I had my reservations. Usually when you hear the term “leftovers” or “B-sides” what you usually end up with is a lot more filler than meat. When I hit play I was hopeful, but scared. That being said, lets get into the tracks! 1. Ouch Well, this opener is undeniably Hip! It has a familiar groove indicative of it’s “Road Apples” counterpart “Twist My Arm”. Gord Downie’s signature vibrato at the end of each phrase is haunting, almost like the last 30 years haven’t happened. The anguished screams that end the track ooze with conviction, and guitarist Bobby Baker is grooving here with the ascending licks providing great energy to this mid tempo rocker. The lyrics of struggle to balance who you have been, who you are and who you could be. “ I spike the recipe and turn my inner peace Into an aching for some more “. This track opens the album with swagger, and allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief knowing full well that this track is worthy of the Hip’s legacy. 2. Not Necessary The energy level takes a bump up on the second track! Again, this song is a true blue Hip tune, a straight ahead rocker with Downie’s unmistakable vocal phrasing reminding us all that he is still very much with us. To me the lyrics tell a story of the beauty of simplicity, great advice. “And all these things I carry, they're not so necessary”. This song is very similar in feel to The Reason’s “Longest Highway Home”. 3. Montreal (Live) On Montreal The Hip pull the energy down matching the dark subject matter described at the front of the track as “The identification process” an ode to the victims of the 1989 Montreal Massacre. “ Don't you worry, Her mama's gonna make her look good.” this line gave me chills, I can’t say I’ve thought much about ever having the misfortune to have to identify a loved one, but this definitely made me stop and think. Another great tune delivered by Downie’s poetic tounge. 4. Crack My Spine Like A Whip This is the only song from the album I had knowingly heard before having caught a live version on Much Music when I was a teenager, and I have always loved this tune! The main guitar riff reminds me of The Offspring’s “Come Out & Play”, which this obviously predates. Lyrically it seems to tell the tale of the demise of a personal relationship where one person’s expectations and demands are wearing down the other. “You're cracking your spine like a whip, and it's cracking my spine just like a whip.” 5. Just As Well This kind of reminds me of “Gimmie Three Steps” by Lynard Skynard in it’s general vibe. The Hip were always a bar band at the heart and this song is quintessential bar band hip. This is the shortest track of the six, but feels long enough. “Didn't really push me I kind of just fell, well, I guess that's just as well” 6. Reformed Baptist Blues After hearing the first three notes I thought “Tall Trees” by Matt Mays then straight into a pepped up Folsom Prison Blues parody. The title says it all, the Hip aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but they do it well and they make everything sound like their own. The lyrics are a hilarious take on a husband’s dismay when his wife finds religion and finds himself in a thruple with his wife and the Almighty. “ God's salvation doesn't interest me at all, found the answer at the bottom of a bottle”. Overall I enjoyed Saskadelphia and the more listens I gave the album, the less I viewed it as a novelty item and more as a very cool complementary piece to a timeless work of rock history. If you like classic Hip, this should be easy for you to love.

#albumreviews #thetragicallyhip #canada #rock music #saskadelphia #track by track #music blog

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