The Tragically Hip — We Are The Same

The Hip's 12th album is their second straight with producer Bob Rock, but it's not full of the big, heavy rock sounds the Winnipeg-born studio technician made his name with while twiddling knobs for Metallica and Motley Crue.

Much of the first half of We Are The Same is comprised of semi-acoustic, mid-tempo pop-rock songs, beginning with pleasant and slightly countrified opener "Morning Moon." "The Last Recluse" features a few of the Canadian references that frontman Gord Downie regularly slips into his lyrics, while he gives nods to "Cat Power and classic Beck" in "Coffee Girl."

The nine-and-a-half-minute "The Depression Suite: The Rock/Neworleansworld/Don't You Wanna See How It Ends?" comes halfway through and makes noticeable use of strings in parts of its three sections. Canadiana comes to mind again with Downie's mention of "lost in the barrens," which should be familiar to most of you who were told to read Farley Mowat books in school.

The volume gets turned up a bit, the guitars get a little edgier, the tempos generally quicken and the band rock harder through the second part of the LP, starting with "The Exact Feeling" and "Queen Of The Furrows." "Speed River" flows like the swift-moving body of water its title depicts. There's more snarl in Downie's voice on "Frozen In My Tracks," which gets a bit frantic toward the end, and the rocking lead single "Love Is A First" features one of those mid-song spoken-word sections that the singer often incorporates into his performances.

We Are The Same doesn't rank among the Hip's best albums, but it features enough 'A' material to keep punters happy when the group insert a few new songs into their set lists on their upcoming North American tour in between the old favourites that people come to hear. And if it doesn't, you have to pick your spot to either get another beer or expel it at some point during a Hip show.

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