The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL TRACK OF THE MONTH: TRASHY ANNIE – “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN”
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: JUSTIN HAYWARD @ THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, TORONTO
SPILL FESTIVAL REVIEW: MOVEMENT MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023 @ HART PLAZA, DETROIT – MOODYMANN SETS THE MOOD
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SPARKS – THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MOON BLUE – THE MOONLIGHT DISCO
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KASSI VALAZZA – KASSI VALAZZA KNOWS NOTHING
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MAUD THE MOTH + TRAJEDESALIVA
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PERE UBU – TROUBLE ON BIG BEAT STREET
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AJJ – DISPOSABLE EVERYTHING
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL – FREE REIN TO PASSIONS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOE PERRY – SWEETZERLAND MANIFESTO MKII
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FISHBONE – FISHBONE
SPILL NEW MUSIC: MOBIUS RADIO – “THE MORE YOU KNOW”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: TARA MACLEAN SHARES HEARTBREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL NEW VIDEO FOR “THAT’S ME”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: JANE’S PARTY – “SHIPS ON AN OCEAN”
SPILL FEATURE: OVERCOMING ADVERSITY, EMERGING VICTORIOUS – A CONVERSATION WITH ROBBIE LITCHFIELD OF SAVING VICE
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
0
1398
Editor Pick
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DIRTY FENCES - GOODBYE LOVE
next article
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: SISTERS OF YOUR SUNSHINE VAPOR - LAVENDER BLOOD

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GORD DOWNIE – INTRODUCE YERSELF

Gord Downie

Gord Downie
Introduce Yerself
Arts & Crafts

Gord Downie’s newest album Introduce Yerself couldn’t come at a better time for Canada, a nation that needs a whole lot of healing right now. Dropping exactly ten days after Gord’s heartbreaking death, this album is a living, breathing testament to the human spirit. It’s a straightforward, concise way of saying goodbye.  There are no major hits or catchy melodies, just raw, genuine music.

The album was written on the shores of Gord’s beloved Lake Ontario, with each of the 23 tracks about a different person or group of people in his life. Similarly, the album was recorded along the same lake in two four-day sessions at Bathouse Recording Studios (The Hip’s studio), one in 2016 and one in 2017.  In large part a cooperative project between Gord and friend Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), it’s clear from the get-go that this double album was crafted with love and tenderness.

With each of the tracks being about a different person, it’s easy to find yourself playing guess who. Who is the woman wearing Coco Chanel No. 5 on track 5 or the person he wants by his side in “Better Ending”?  The lyrics are easy to get tangled in, simple yet confounding, urgent and steadfast. In this one, Gord’s voice rings out:

“Even though their advice is not to, please stay ‘till the better end.”

Other tracks reveal themselves more quickly. The lyrics are what stand out almost immediately. “Bedtime” was obviously written for one (or all) of Gord’s children, as it lovingly describes the act of putting a child to sleep before sneaking out of the room and the baby awaking:

“I’d come back, lift you up, start all over again” Gord sings in his deep and haunting voice over minor piano notes.

He paints a scene most people have found themselves in before but allows them to see it through fresh eyes.

“Love Over Money” describes Gord’s love for his band, The Tragically Hip. It makes sense. The band always split their earnings equally and always stayed together for better or for worse. It makes for a beautiful homage to the men who stood by his side on and off stage all those years. Simply and honestly he sings, “Love deeply misunderstood.  Love, that’s how we got good.”

Second to the lyrics on this album are the instrumentals.  Uncomplicated and unembellished, the sound is mostly made up of acoustic guitar and piano with some light percussion and the odd synth. While this may seem too easy, the backdrop of music ranges emotions from fearful and dire to adoring and gracious. Gord calls on a range of musicians (including his own brother, Patrick) to round out the sound. Gentle white noise on the song “Snowflake” paints a quiet winter landscape where “Thinking About Us” has a much more ethereal feel like an Emerson Lake and Palmer song. Serene and without boasting, the music speaks for itself.

Then all at once, the album is done, quietly but fiercely. It ends on a track called “The North” and from the beginning it’s clear this track is about Gord’s final passion, reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians. Whether he’s writing about Chanie Wenjack himself or a member of his family is unclear but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the call, Gord is telling Canadians to help fight their dark past with new relationships. Contrasting the deep bass notes of Gord’s vocals with sorrowful piano, the song cries out:

“You showed me a problem that is over 100 years old. There are parents without kids without parents without kids…”

The song emotes visions of residential schools, of the warm sun and the Canadian north. Then, simply and calmly, the song ends and fades into white noise. One last time, Gord has used his music to help us know ourselves better and now, know him better too.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Editor Pick
Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GORD DOWNIE – INTRODUCE YERSELF

Author

Gabrielle Mueller

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
63.4
9.0
Total Spill Rating
63.4
Total Fan Rating
8 ratings
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewsarts & craftsgord downieintroduce yerselfthe tragically hip
album reviews, arts & crafts, gord downie, introduce yerself, the tragically hip
About the Author
Gabrielle Mueller
Gabrielle Mueller is a lover of all things music, writing and charcuterie boards. Gabrielle has a particular passion for music of the 1960s and the hippie movement in Toronto’s Yorkville district. Gabrielle runs her own music website, The Hippie Historian, where she reviews concerts, interviews musicians and writes about music history that spans the ages.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewsarts & craftsgord downie
 
9.0
Sparks
10

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SPARKS – THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE

by Aaron Badgley on May 26, 2023
Sparks The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte Island Records The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is Sparks 25th studio album, and their first since 2020’s very successful A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip. They have gained a new audience, thanks in part to the [...]
 
8.0
Moon Blue

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MOON BLUE – THE MOONLIGHT DISCO

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 26, 2023
Moon Blue The Moonlight Disco 777 Music There are two ways by which an artist can make the title of his record fit perfectly with the music within. One is to compose the music and then find a fitting title, the other is the have the title in [...]
 
8.0
Kassi Valazza
10

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KASSI VALAZZA – KASSI VALAZZA KNOWS NOTHING

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 26, 2023
Kassi Valazza Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing Fluff & Gravy Records Portland, Oregon artist Kassi Valazza defies the title of her latest album – Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing. She actually knows quite a bit it seems, and one of the things [...]
 
8.0
maud the moth + trajedesaliva
8.8

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MAUD THE MOTH + TRAJEDESALIVA

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 26, 2023
maud the moth + trajedesaliva Bordando el Manto Terrestre Time Released Sound Now, we’re talking about some serious dark stuff here. Yet, it is the kind of dark stuff that actually enlightens and makes the true darkness go away. Bordando [...]
 
9.0
Pere Ubu

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PERE UBU – TROUBLE ON BIG BEAT STREET

by Aaron Badgley on May 26, 2023
Pere Ubu Trouble On Big Beat Street Cherry Red Records One could be forgiven for being confused as to what the actual year is when Sparks, Pere Ubu, Yes, and Jethro Tull are releasing new music. And it is a most excellent confusion. David Thomas [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SPARKS – THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE
9.0
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MOON BLUE – THE MOONLIGHT DISCO
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KASSI VALAZZA – KASSI VALAZZA KNOWS NOTHING
8.0
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MAUD THE MOTH + TRAJEDESALIVA
8.0
8.8
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PERE UBU – TROUBLE ON BIG BEAT STREET
9.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL NEWS: RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL STARR BAND ADD DATES TO SPRING 2023 TOUR
7835
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: METALLICA – 72 SEASONS
3641
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JETHRO TULL – RÖKFLÖTE
1495
 
SPILL FEATURE: LOVE THAT WE WERE LIVING – A CONVERSATION WITH JUSTIN HAYWARD OF THE MOODY BLUES
1349
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DELERIUM – SIGNS
1209
 
SPILL NEW MUSIC: EMMA ARMSTRONG – “MAYBE PROBABLY NEVER”
1103
 
SPILL FEATURE: RECOLLECTION IN TRANQUILITY – A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN FOXX
837
 
SPILL FEATURE: THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE – A CONVERSATION WITH RUSSELL MAEL & RON MAEL OF SPARKS
835
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE KINKS – THE JOURNEY – PART 1
693
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE WHO – THE WHO WITH ORCHESTRA: LIVE AT WEMBLEY
687
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DAMNED – DARKADELIC
617
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CROWN LANDS – FEARLESS
500
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE – MEMENTO MORI
497
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES