The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution (2004/2020)

In Between Evolution is a perfect title for the Hip's 2015 album; more than any other time in the group's history, this record was written and recorded amidst varying states of historical discordance. Frontman Gord Downie's lyrics were heavily affected while touring the deep south during the height of the Iraq war (especially the anthemic "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night"). Months later, while the band was rehearsing the new tracks in Whistler, raging floodwaters washed out a bridge near their practice space, killing people in the process. In traditional Downie fashion, nature's carnage was turned into a mournful, respectful musical legacy via the disc's first single, "Vaccination Scar".

All of these are simple descriptions of the disc's foundations, but here are the facts. Producer Adam Kasper (Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age) is responsible for sonic nuances that differ from previous Hip discs: many songs seem punchier, a little more succinct. That said, the opening cut may scare longtime fans; "Heaven is a Better Place Today" kicks things off double-time, creating music that has more in common with old punk rock than latter day Hip. By track number two however, ("Summer's Killing Us"), things feel considerably more joyful and familiar. The rest of the disc is nothing out of left field, a series of mood-laden storyscapes that accelerate from quiet to driven; like other recent Hip discs, Evolution is a whole journey, rather than a series of rockin' singles.