Man Machine Poem
| Man Machine Poem | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Tragically Hip | ||||
| Released | June 17, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | Bathouse Recording Studio, Kingston, Ontario | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 41:25 | |||
| Label | Universal Music Canada | |||
| Producer | Kevin Drew, Dave Hamelin | |||
| The Tragically Hip chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Man Machine Poem | ||||
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Man Machine Poem is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, released on June 17, 2016 on Universal Music Canada.[1] Produced by Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin,[1] the album is named after a track which appeared on the band's previous album Now for Plan A.
The album's first single, "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind", was released in April.[1]
Prior to the album's release, the band announced that lead singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2015.[2] The cancer has responded favourably to treatment but is not fully curable, and the band toured in summer 2016 to support the album on what may be the final tour of their career.[2] The band and critics have cautioned, however, against interpreting the album in light of Downie's health, as it was written and recorded before his diagnosis.[3] As well, although some media coverage has referred to it as the band's final album, nobody associated with the band has stated that; rather, the possibility remains open that the band may still record further albums conditional on Downie's health.
Critical response
Writing in Exclaim!, Stuart Henderson described the album as "a darkly illuminated, late-career curveball likely to please and confound in equal measure. Rarely since their mid-1990s heyday has the multi-platinum-selling band sounded so intent on crafting something different."[4] In the Edmonton Journal, Fish Griwkowsky described the album as "a deep-felt, summer highway album that briefly escapes the weight of the doom we all share — not alone, but together in the dark".[5]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[4] |
Track listing
All tracks written by Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man" | 5:17 |
| 2. | "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind" | 3:56 |
| 3. | "What Blue" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "In Sarnia" | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Here, in the Dark" | 4:03 |
| 6. | "Great Soul" | 3:44 |
| 7. | "Tired as Fuck" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Hot Mic" | 3:55 |
| 9. | "Ocean Next" | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Machine" | 5:29 |
Total length: |
41:25 | |
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 178 |
References
- 1 2 3 "The Tragically Hip drop first tune from 'Man Machine Poem'". The Buffalo News, April 9, 2016.
- 1 2 "Courage, my word: Tragically Hip's Gord Downie reveals terminal brain cancer diagnosis". CBC Music. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ↑ "The Tragically Hip's 'Man Machine Poem' a final piece of dependable rock". Toronto Sun, June 12, 2016.
- 1 2 Henderson, Stuart (June 15, 2016). "The Tragically Hip - Man Machine Poem". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Twilight Tragically Hip album Man Machine Poem innovative, beautiful". Edmonton Journal, June 13, 2016.
- ↑ "The Tragically Hip – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for The Tragically Hip. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
- ↑ "The Tragically Hip – Chart history" Billboard 200 for The Tragically Hip. Retrieved June 28, 2016.