The
stage is The Tragically Hip's oyster. "The connection they have with their
audience is truly astonishing," marvels Steve Berlin, multi-instrumentalist
for Los Lobos and producer of records by the likes of Crash Test Dummies
and Faith No More. "I had been aware of them for a number of years and
knew three or four of their songs from the radio, but I didn't realize
just how powerful they were until I got to see them play night after night
last summer." Berlin is referring to Another Roadside Attraction, the semi-annual
festival tour The Hip have organized and headlined three times since 1993.
ARA '97 drew over 100,000 fans to six Canadian and two U.S. stops; tour
mates last summer included Wilco, Sheryl Crow, and, of course, Los Lobos.
"They just floored me," Berlin continues. "After that, I totally got it."
True,
the live experience is key in understanding Kingston, Ontario's favorite
sons, The Tragically Hip, but the band knows how to make killer records,
too. Case in point: The richly textured Phantom Power, the band's seventh
studio effort, eighth overall for Universal Music Canada, and first for
Sire Records. The 12 songs that constitute Power came to life in The Hip's
home-away-from-home studio in Kingston, and they comprise their most realized
and cohesive work to date.
Power
songs unfold like tightly woven origami. Songwriter Gordon Downie's double-edged
wordplay defines the defiant "Poets," the album's lead track, first single,
and first video (directed by Downie himself inside a house overrun by,
er, over 450 cats). There's also the loss of innocence inherent in "Fireworks,"
the seductive nature of temptation that permeates "Chagrin Falls," and
the polite "my pleasure, but see ya later" vibe of the prophetically named
"Escape is at hand for the travellin' man." "My job is to capture our role
in the never-ending present," says Downie of his creations. "I have certain
experiences of group and individual settings juxtaposed with constant brief
encounters; that's what I write about."
And
then there's the band's patented gregarious groove-which I've come to call
"The Hip Pocket"-that's locked in and unloaded all throughout songs like
the deliberately churning "Membership," the snarky "Vapour Trails," and
the slamming "Emperor Penguin" (known to some of the devoted Hip faithful
as "Tremolo"). "The first few records we made were all about trying to
catch what we did live and transfer it to the studio environment," observes
guitarist Robby Baker. "Lately, we've begun to see the studio as a different
beast entirely. Now we let the songs dictate where they're gonna go-and
the approach we'll take in getting them there."
What
makes Power even more potent are the tantalizing new elements that have
entered the mix: a poignant flute solo courtesy the aforementioned Berlin
(who's also the album's co-producer) during the rideout to "Save the Planet"
(which tickles Baker to no end: "here you've got this hard-driving 'Little
Bones' kinda thing going on, and then you've got a lovely lilting flute-but
it fits") and the honey-drippin' pedal-steel lines via Wilco's Bob Egan
on "Bobcaygeon" and "The Rules" (Baker again: "pedal-steel is an art unto
itself, and Bob is an amazing player"). Even bassist Gord Sinclair expands
his palette, who, along with Berlin, was responsible for the subtle organ
fills on "Bobcaygeon." "This record could be a shocking development for
fans who've been with us since Up to Here [1989]," Sinclair admits, "but
I really think Phantom Power hearkens back to the older days in terms of
there being shorter songs than what you might find on Day for Night [1994]
or Trouble at the Henhouse [1996]. Growth is important. It brings to mind
The Rolling Stones, who for years continued to redefine themselves and
their sound in different ways on record, but were instantly recognizable
live."
These
new adventures in instrumentation were encouraged by Berlin, who came aboard
to share Power's producer's chair along with The Hip and longtime band
engineer Mark Vreeken. The addition of Berlin to The Hip's close-knit production
circle might be somewhat of a surprise considering the band self- produced
'96's Trouble at the Henhouse, but to them it was a no-brainer. "We knew
we wanted him right away," asserts drummer Johnny Fay. "There comes a time
when you have to stop building the ship after you've road-tested songs
and you know what you've got on tape. Steve knew exactly when to say, 'THIS
is the right version.'" Concurs Sinclair, "Steve was the most logical choice.
We wanted to get someone who wasn't an engineer to focus on the musical
standpoint as opposed to the sonic standpoint of things. If we were left
to do it on our own, it would've been a lot more difficult." Interjects
guitarist Paul Langlois, "We liked the idea of taking a left turn. It was
a good way to keep the band both off-guard and fresh at the same time."
Concludes Baker, "I enjoyed making Henhouse, but it took too much time
with 5 people in charge. Besides, self-production wasn't the end-goal of
all the work we've done in our career to this point. Recording has to continually
be a learning process."
Berlin's
main strength as producer came in showing The Hip new ways to arrange their
material-opening up their Power window, you might say. "My goal was to
make myself no more equal than anyone else, yet be the one to gently suggest
different song arrangements," he elaborates. "They were very open to my
suggestions, and the beauty of it all was that they could instantly hear
the results from song to song. It was a pleasurable experience for them
to hear sounds they were unfamiliar hearing coming from themselves."
To
further vary the songs' textures, The Hip enlisted Don Smith (who produced
1989's Up to Here and 1991's Road Apples) to mix six songs at Mile High
Studios in Agoura, California ("Poets," "Save the Planet," "Membership,"
"Vapour Trails," "Escape is at hand for the travellin' man," and "Emperor
Penguin"), Jim Rondinelli (The Odds, Big Star) to mix three others at The
Warehouse Studios in Vancouver ("Something On," "Bobcaygeon," and "Chagrin
Falls"), and Mark Vreeken (The Hip's longtime right-hand soundman and chief
recordist) to mix three himself at the Bathouse ("Thompson Girl," "Fireworks,"
"and "The Rules"). Says Baker of the miscellaneous mixing assignments,
"there are now layers and depth to the songs that weren't apparent in the
early mixes."
The
symmetry of Phantom Power spilled over into Fay's discovery of the device
that adorns the album's cover. "I was walking down Houston Street in New
York City," he recalls, "when this piece of yellow gear sitting outside
an antique shop caught my eye. I'm interested in unorthodox gear, as I
believe everything has a sound in it I can somehow use. I bought it and
showed it to Mark Vreeken. As it turns out, it's a line-tester for Air
Force airline equipment from the '70s. It was useless for what I originally
wanted, but Robby thought it would make for an interesting cover image."
Fills in Baker, who designed the album's distinct look, "I loved it! I
felt the whole package should be just like the machine itself."
While
the majority of Power had been channeled by November '97, The Hip planned
to reconvene in January '98 to finish overdubbing and commence mixing,
but the harrowing ice storm that left much of eastern Canada literally
in the dark during the early weeks of 1998 got in the way. All but the
Downie clan found themselves without power for an average of 7 days, as
the other members of The Hip had to scramble to find ways to generate heat
and keep family spirits upbeat. Declares Berlin, "They're an incredibly
resilient group of men." Music helped some of them make it through the
ordeal: "The beauty of acoustic guitars," observes Sinclair, "is that you
can still play them by candlelight."
By
the time everyone dug out and got to Bath, a new song, the kinetic "Something
On," immediately took shape (and one of its fertile lines inspired the
album's eventual title). "It was weird to see the entire city black," muses
Downie. "What we wanted to do with that song was to capture the expression
of someone coming through such a period of toil with a heroic, pioneering
spirit." Acknowledges Baker, "Some people experience depression after an
event like that, but, in my case, there was a sense of incredible relief
and renewed vigor. I had pent-up energy that I could channel into something
else-the music."
Nailing
"Something On" was a fitting capper on a period that could have tried lesser
band's souls. "This record was a good test," agrees Langlois. "But we've
always relied on each other to tell it like it is-good or bad." Friendship
has been the key to what's kept the band together for 14 years (and counting).
"This band is a full democracy, moreso than any other band I've worked
with-it's like dealing with the Security Council," chuckles Berlin. "Being
in Los Lobos for about 18 years now myself, I'm very familiar with how
The Hip interact and how the bandmembers draw strength from each other."
Producer and band worked so well together that Berlin says he's game for
a repeat performance: "I'd drop anything and everything to work with them
again."
The
Hip realize they have a unique bond. "I think of it as a five-way marriage
without the sex," grins Baker. "Yeah, we've lasted longer than many marriages,"
confirms Fay. "There aren't any other bands like us." Indeed; not many
bands put their personal relationships before their business ones. Asserts
Downie, "None of these songs are as important as the people who made them."
Allows Sinclair, "The passion we feel for the music won't ever override
what we feel toward each other."
Considering
the end result, then, Phantom Power readily shows that The Hip have one
of the most fruitful marriages going. "We make the records to please ourselves
first," clarifies Baker, "and I'm quite pleased with Phantom Power. It's
very textural. You have to listen to the songs a number of times to let
them fully reveal themselves." Offers Sinclair, "To me, the mark of a good
record is that you want to put it on again immediately after it's over.
That's all we've ever strived for. I've always preferred records that keep
unfolding after each successive listen, and I think we've succeeded."
Now
it's time to share the Power with everyone, as The Hip plan to hit the
road full throttle once again. The bulk of '98 will be taken up by club
dates in the U.S., with a full-on assault of native Canadian soil expected
for '99. "This is the longest time we've ever been off the road," notes
Baker, "so getting back on tour will feel like the first time." Echoes
Sinclair, "we've spent a lot of time listening to music and not playing
it, so it's high time to get ourselves back onstage and in front of the
people, which is our favorite thing to do."
So
go ahead, plug in and experience the energy that is Phantom Power. It's
an enticing Power trip to a place where you may think you've never been
before- except, perhaps, to borrow a line from "Poets," "in The Himalayas
of your mind." To Downie, the mystique of Phantom Power is that it "doesn't
seem to come from anywhere, but it's all there. Ultimately, I'd like to
think it's got roots in something that's fairly actually real-but not too
real."
What's
Phantom Power really stand for? I think it's the intangible glue that holds
The Tragically Hip together, that elusive elixir that fuels them into making
such beautiful, powerful music. May the circle remain unbroken.
Mike Mettler
Editor-In-Chief, Car Stereo Review magazine
AKA "Cataract Guava Nixon")
