I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: THE TRAGICALLY HIP-“Now for Plan A” (2012).

While I was enjoying the Hip’s new album, I recognized a voice in a couple of duets.  That voice is Sarah Harmer’s!  I love Harmer and realized that I haven’t heard much from her lately (her last album was three years ago).  I looked up to see what she’s been up to and it appears she’s been on some human rights trips, which is quite cool.  But it’s nice to hear her voice again.

This is the title track to the album.  It starts slow with a wah wah’d guitar.  The sounds slowly build as more layers are added and after a minute Gord starts singing.  By the second verse Harmer sings along with Downie–their voices complement each other very nicely, although it’s funny that in this song neither one of them is really showing of his or her chops–their vocals are mostly quiet.  Although I like when it seems like Harmer is taking over in the final verse.

I don’t love Hip ballads as a rule, but this is a good one.

[READ: May 9, 2013] “Fragments”

This story is indeed about fragments.

It opens with a conversation. And it’s a pretty interesting one–about flying a helicopter over midtown Manhattan.  But then that conversation ends–the protagonist was just overhearing it.  We see that he is at work.  And then his phone rings.  His wife has butt-dialed him and he is able to hear fragments of her conversation.  Although we hear only snippets, it is enough for him (although not necessarily for me) to think that she is planning on having an affair with whomever she is talking to.

This fear is not helped by the fact that she is working extra late hours on a case.  She is out until very late often until he is asleep.  Although in one instance he only pretends to sleep to see what she will do.  She goes to sleep without waking him, which he takes as a bad sign (although honestly, what is she supposed to do wake him up to say she is going to bed?)

Throughout the story we hear snippets of conversations as the man walks around trying to wrap his head around things. The fragments don’t add up to  lot, nor should they impact the man’s narrative, but they seem to bounce around in his head.  As he listens to all these people talk, he realizes that he has no one to talk to.

And so he decides to do something unusual–he opens his window and starts talking to people passing by.  Some people respond.  Others do not.  And he gains a sense of understanding about what he has to do based on this communion with strangers.

The man’s behavior is erratic and certainly not exemplary.  But it makes for a very interesting story.  I’ve enjoyed Ferris’ work in the past and I’m looking forward to what he writes next–he deals with lack of communication very well.