At this point, you know exactly what you're getting from Paul Langlois's new album, Guess What — and that's a good thing. It's Canadiana at its finest, with the Tragically Hip's influence woven through each track like a bright string that keeps the whole work together.
Guess What is something of an ode to Gord Downie's spirit, as the Ottawa-born Langlois brings to the musical landscape exactly what made the Hip one of the most popular bands in the fabric of Canadian music: an album that evokes driving down the 401, wind in your hair, with rocks and trees on either side, making the probably unbearable traffic a bit better.
Each song on Guess What tells a story, something the Hip and all of its members do so well. Langlois offers a bit more country in his work, but tracks like "Don't Leave Me Brother" have a touch of that gritty, rock edge. That tune, the sixth on the album, opens with a vocal-free twenty seconds of a strong bassline and heavy drum beat that sketches out the tale that is bound to follow.
There's a thread of humorous irony that runs through these titles, with a song called "I Feel Real, Yo" offering probably the most emotionally-charged lyrics. "You hold on to yourself / There's nothing wrong," Langois croons. "They'll come and pass like water through the scenes of their crimes / And the damage to your mind / You'll let them get away / Because you don't want them to stay."
Langois and his band recorded the album over the span of eight November days in Stella's Bathouse studio, playing and recording each track over until they nailed a take they felt was worthy. The energy of that experience translates into the album, as even the melancholic, heavier tracks have a small threadline of hope, a threadline of happiness and hard-won perseverance that's always been at the heart of Canadian rock music.
(Pheromone), (Cadence Music Group)Guess What is something of an ode to Gord Downie's spirit, as the Ottawa-born Langlois brings to the musical landscape exactly what made the Hip one of the most popular bands in the fabric of Canadian music: an album that evokes driving down the 401, wind in your hair, with rocks and trees on either side, making the probably unbearable traffic a bit better.
Each song on Guess What tells a story, something the Hip and all of its members do so well. Langlois offers a bit more country in his work, but tracks like "Don't Leave Me Brother" have a touch of that gritty, rock edge. That tune, the sixth on the album, opens with a vocal-free twenty seconds of a strong bassline and heavy drum beat that sketches out the tale that is bound to follow.
There's a thread of humorous irony that runs through these titles, with a song called "I Feel Real, Yo" offering probably the most emotionally-charged lyrics. "You hold on to yourself / There's nothing wrong," Langois croons. "They'll come and pass like water through the scenes of their crimes / And the damage to your mind / You'll let them get away / Because you don't want them to stay."
Langois and his band recorded the album over the span of eight November days in Stella's Bathouse studio, playing and recording each track over until they nailed a take they felt was worthy. The energy of that experience translates into the album, as even the melancholic, heavier tracks have a small threadline of hope, a threadline of happiness and hard-won perseverance that's always been at the heart of Canadian rock music.
