A former Facebook friend (Canadian of course) frequently praised the virtues of the Hip, but I never looked them up. In my imagination, they were a sort of witty country-flavored rock band (kind of like the current American band Mike and the Moonpies).

So my listen to this playlist was my first exposure, and I was more than impressed. The Hip is much more rock-ish than I had thought, and their lyrics are much more informed and engaging. I really can't compare them to anyone else I know.

In many ways they fall between expectations:

* Their songs are American in power, but British in subtlety (I'm thinking of the 1980's Kinks anthem rock songs).

* Lyrics are both simple and complex. Very few writers can pull this off.

* The typical song length here is between 4-5 minutes. This seems to be a challenging spot for most musicians. Most songs that long would benefit from more conciseness, or more expansion. But the duration of these songs is just right for what they're trying to do.

* I have enjoyed watching Gord Downie's singing more than that of any other musician I've seen. He has a disarming blend of passion and insouciance that (like other characteristics) is unique. His early death must be especially sad.

In my limited experience, when a musicians or bands tend to be too mixed to classify simply, they're usually underestimated (and ignored) by critics and the general public. That seems to be the case with the Hip, except for their popularity in Canada. I don't think it's "Canadianness" that limits their popularity elsewhere; it's that Canadians get what the Hip is doing and practically no one else does.

"Bobycaygeon" has been added to my very small list of perfect songs. The video is nearly that good as well.

Many thanks for your advocacy for this wonderful treasure. You have won a fan among their neighbors to the south.