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Note: After being stupidly busy and travelling for a few months, this is the first of a series of "first impressions" (OK, short and lazy) reviews of a number of albums that I've bought recently. The usual format of extended reviews will resume shortly.

I had heard of The Tragically Hip and had probably heard some of their music. So, out of curiosity (and thrift) I bought what I thought was their first album for $7.50 (Canadian Dollars). It turns out that "The Hip" are considered to be one of Canada's premiere rock acts, and what I'd picked up was actually an EP released before their first album. They're a five piece band - vocals, 2 guitars, bass and drums - and have now been around for about 18 years, still with the original line-up.

A few listens indicated a good, tight rock band with Indie tinges. Singer Gord Downie's voice comes across a little like that of REM's Michael Stipe, although he displays an interesting variety of sounds, including an excellent rock'n'roll growl. On this EP he also sounds a little like the singer from Australian band The Hoodoo Gurus - actually the whole EP sounds a little like that band. The songs are guitar-based, with both a rhythm and blues edge - sometimes you can hear The Rolling Stones in there, as well as that Indie jangle.

Listening to this EP prompted me to look for more information about The Tragically Hip on the Internet, which then prompted me to buy 3 more albums. The urgency of my multiple album purchase involved both my naturally obsessive behaviour (I listen, I enjoy a lot, I buy most of the back catalogue :-) and the fact that these albums cost $10 to $15 each in Canada, but will probably set me back about $30 each once I return to Australia. So, after skipping through the songs on 2 of the albums, I found 3 more in another CD store. So, I now have 6 albums by The Tragically Hip and 1 EP. I think this band's music is going to be a staple part of my music listening from now on.