The Tragically Hip: In Between Evolution : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

One thing that's remained the same in the Tragically Hip's twenty-plus years together is their power to ask questions without repeating themselves. Frontman Gordon Downie's role as a working class poet has only gotten better with age and the double-guitar attack of Rob Baker and Paul Langlois continues to complement the band's boundless ambition in making honest rock & roll. The Hip's eleventh album, In Between Evolution, stays true to the simple formula that plainness breeds purity. Quiet storms guide you through a world map of spiritual inquisition ("Nautical Disaster" and "Springtime in Vienna") throughout In Between Evolution. From the poignant flare of "Meanstreak" and the sepia-toned loneliness of "If New Orleans Is Beat" to the angular anticipation of "Summer's Killing Us," the Tragically Hip's journey is once again an education worthy of degree. They haven't tired of progressing, and it's a beautiful thing.