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On May 24, 2016, The Tragically Hip announced that lead singer and lyricist Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Though the news barely caused a ripple in the United States or the rest of the world, in Canada it was greeted with an outpouring of grief and sadness. The band's summer tour, concluding on August 20 with a concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario broadcast live by CBC, was an unprecedented and overwhelming celebration of "The Hip" throughout Canada.

 

More than anyone else, including Leonard Cohen and Gordon Lightfoot, Gord Downie can lay claim to being the unofficial poet laureate of Canada. For almost 30 years, his evocative lyrics have provided a musical cultural history of The Great White North. His songs are filled with references to Canadian geography and its natural landscape, hockey (and the imprint that particular sport has make on the Canadian psyche), troubled artists, wrongfully convicted prisoners, and much more.

 

It's not just Downie's facility with words that is so remarkable about The Hip. Guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay are able to tackle almost any style with aplomb. This collection, which covers the years 1987-2004, runs the gamut from haunting, meditative ballads ("38 Years Old," "Wheat Kings," "Bobcaygeon"), to stomping rockers ("Little Bones," "Three Pistols," "Nautical Disaster"), floating atmospherics ("Gift Shop," "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken") to bluesy grooves ("Boots or Hearts," "New Orleans Is Sinking," "Twist My Arm")--and that's just scraping the surface.

 

Though you may never get a chance to see one of the Hip's legendarily amazing life performances again (I saw them twice, and was knocked out both times) you can at least catch up with what you missed with this outstanding compilation. And if you get hooked, there's plenty more to discover.