Pitchers and catchers report -- one of the best phrases a person can read. This is my favorite time of the year. Spring training has finally arrived. The unmistakable sound of the bat-hitting ball is bliss. Can summer be far behind?
And this year is better then most. The Phillies are reining World Champs. The winter didn’t seem as harsh as it usually does. It’s not something we Phils fans had many chances of saying. Thankfully, I was alive for their first crown.
As much as I love music, baseball is my first love. Just getting the glove out and having a catch is my idea of fun. Hell, just thinking about tossing the ball gets my heart going a little bit faster.
Just as there is nothing like the anticipation of a new baseball season, a close second is awaiting the arrival of a favorite band’s latest album. When I hear that Bruce Springsteen or Better Than Ezra have new music coming out I eagerly await its release.
When Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town” came out, I was standing in the record store, waiting for UPS to deliver the shipment. I had to buy 3 copies -- my buddies had to work, so it was my duty to get the first ones.
So when I heard that this week’s band is coming out with a new disc in April, I felt compelled to write about their previous one. The Tragically Hip should be better known then they are. And if you doubt me go out and grab “World Container.”
From “Yer Not the Ocean”, the opening track to “Last Night I Dreamed You Didn’t Love Me” this Canadian quintet hits all the right notes. They find unique ways of expressing eternal ideas.
They bring a northern sense to their music. And it’s perfectly expressed in “The Lonely End of the Rink”: a song about that’s about misfit love. Or hockey…I haven’t really decided which yet.
"The Kids Don’t Get It” is what rock is supposed to be; heavy guitars, and lyrics that you have to think about more than once to get the message. “In View,” “Fly” and the title track are unlike most music you have heard.
So while we wait for the Hip’s next album, here’s the link to their website so you can get a sense of who they are. Click around and get a feel for their sound. You’ll get to hear a lot of their music and I know you’ll quickly agree that the kids might not get it, but you will.
