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
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
one of the decade's favorite concert draws. Working with veteran
producer
Bob Rock
(
Moetley Cruee
Metallica
), was one smart move. As he did with
's
Dr. Feelgood
album,
Rock
zeroed in on what makes
such a vital
band -- the dual guitar attack of
Paul Langlois
Rob Baker
, and
Downie
's clever and poetic state of mind as expressed in his singing -- and drew it in, forcing
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"
"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
, too, has never sounded better. The poetic obliqueness that's carried his lyrics since
's 1983 inception has obviously made him a Canadian celebrity, but
tossed such dramatics aside, encouraging
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
does it all without losing sight of what
have achieved in their 20-plus years in the business, once again solidifying their mark on
alternative rock
. ~ MacKenzie Wilson