Fully Completely

I was excited to listen to this because I've heard the reputation of The Tragically Hip being "the one that got away" for the American market despite being huge in Canada (and Australia for some reason), so after finally getting the opportunity to check them out I feel a little disappointed. Their style of alt rock isn't atypical at all to what was out at the time, so the whole selling point of the album rests on the songwriting, which is just fine.

I have two main thoughts on this: Firstly this band sounds a lot like REM, almost indistinguishable at times, though the content of the songs do differ considerably and Gord Downie
has a charming Canadian flair which Michael Stipe (obviously) doesn't have. My second thought: How was this band not popular in the US? This generic alt rock was a big deal back then, mix in the heartland/roots style of the music and lyrics and you have a recipe for a Yank success story.

There's a few songs on here that follow some Canadian specific topic, like Wheat Kings, and I find these by far the most interesting part of the album. Verdict: Be more Canadian.

Should it be on the main list: No

Top 3 songs: Locked In the Trunk of a Car, Fully Completely, Wheat Kings

Another perfectly adequate but forgettable album to me. I think I like it a bit more than the last one just because it's got a bit more energy behind it but I doubt I'll circle back to it.