Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Man Machine Poem.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Man Machine Poem
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
| Man Machine Poem | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 17, 2016 | |||
| Studio | The Bathouse, Bath, Loyalist, Ontario | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 41:25 | |||
| Label | Universal | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Tragically Hip chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Man Machine Poem | ||||
| ||||
Man Machine Poem is the thirteenth and final studio album by Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip, released on June 17, 2016 on Universal Music Canada.[1] It is their last album to be released before the death of lead singer Gord Downie, as well as their last to be composed of new material. 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 Gord Downie was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in December 2015[2] and that the band would tour Canada in summer 2016 to support the album.[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] Although some media coverage has referred to it as the band's final album, the band reportedly worked on some new studio material after its release, and also have more than one album's worth of previously unreleased material that could be issued in the future as rarities compilations.[4]
Background
[edit]The album had been slated for release in March 2016 under the title Dougie Stardust, as a play on David Bowie's classic album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars; it had even begun appearing on music retail sites as a pre-order under that title.[5] The band delayed the album's release after Downie suffered his second cancer-related seizure in February, and opted to retitle it in light of Bowie's death in January.[5]
Critical reception
[edit]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."[6] 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".[7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[6] |
The album garnered a longlist nomination for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize,[8] and won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2017.
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Personnel
[edit]Personnel taken from Man Machine Poem liner notes.[9]
The Tragically Hip
- Gord Downie – vocals
- Johnny Fay – drums, percussion
- Gord Sinclair – bass, vocals
- Rob Baker – guitar
- Paul Langlois – guitar, vocals
Additional musicians
- Dave Hamelin – keyboards, percussion
- Kevin Drew – keyboards, percussion
Technical personnel
- Kevin Drew – production
- Dave Hamelin – production, mixing
- Nyler Spencer – recording
- Eric Boulanger – mastering
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "The Tragically Hip drop first tune from 'Man Machine Poem'". The Buffalo News, April 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "Courage, my word: Tragically Hip's Gord Downie reveals terminal brain cancer diagnosis". CBC Music. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "The Tragically Hip's 'Man Machine Poem' a final piece of dependable rock". Toronto Sun, June 12, 2016.
- ^ Cowie, Del (2016-10-14). "5 things we learned from Gord Downie's interview with Peter Mansbridge". CBC Music. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
- ^ a b Michael Barclay, The Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip. ECW Press, 2018. ISBN 9781770414365. p. 321-324.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Gord Downie, Tragically Hip both make cut as Polaris Prize long list revealed". Toronto Star, June 13, 2017.
- ^ Man Machine Poem (Vinyl liner notes). The Tragically Hip. 2016.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Tragically Hip Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
- ^ "The Tragically Hip Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
- ^ "The Tragically Hip Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
Man Machine Poem
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Background
Development and writing
Man Machine Poem was conceived as the thirteenth studio album by the Tragically Hip, following their 2012 release Now for Plan A. Songwriting for the project began in 2015, involving collaboration among the full band, with frontman Gord Downie providing the lyrics and guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay contributing to the music. The album's initial working title was Dougie Stardust, a homage to David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. After Bowie's death on January 10, 2016, the band renamed it Man Machine Poem as a tribute to his profound influence on rock music and their own artistic evolution.[7] Band members aimed to deliver a "late-career curveball" through deliberate creative choices, embracing experimental textures and atmospheric arrangements inspired by influences like Radiohead's Kid A to challenge their established sound.[8] The material was composed primarily before Downie's terminal brain cancer diagnosis in December 2015, ensuring the lyrics avoided any direct allusions to his health condition.Health context
In late 2015, Gord Downie, the lead singer and lyricist of the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, was diagnosed with terminal glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.[9] Following the diagnosis, which occurred after a seizure, Downie underwent surgery, six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, and ongoing treatment.[9] The band publicly announced the diagnosis on May 24, 2016, via an official statement, just weeks before the release of their thirteenth studio album, Man Machine Poem, on June 17, 2016.[10][11] The album's songs had been written and recorded prior to Downie's diagnosis, meaning its content was not influenced by or thematically tied to his illness.[12] Nonetheless, the timing of the announcement positioned Man Machine Poem as potentially the band's final studio work, infusing the release with an unforeseen sense of finality and urgency.[13] In the face of these health challenges, The Tragically Hip chose to move forward with the album's release and a planned tour, underscoring Downie's resolve to continue his creative pursuits.[10] The band's statement highlighted this determination, noting that Downie was committed to making music in the immediate future despite his condition.[10] The public revelation drew intense national focus in Canada, where The Tragically Hip held a revered cultural status, amplifying the emotional weight of the album's launch and the band's ongoing journey.[9]Recording and production
Studio and producers
The album Man Machine Poem was recorded at The Bathouse, the band's own historic studio located in Loyalist, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Ontario near Kingston. Originally constructed in the 19th century as a stone coach house, it was converted into a recording studio in the early 1990s and had served as a key recording space for The Tragically Hip since the mid-1990s, including sessions for albums like Trouble at the Henhouse (1996).[14][15] The production team consisted of Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene and Dave Hamelin, formerly of The Stills, who were brought on to infuse the band's established rock foundation with innovative approaches.[16][1] Their selection drew on their reputations in the Canadian indie scene for blending rock with experimental textures, providing a contemporary edge to the Hip's sound.[17] Under Drew and Hamelin's guidance, the production emphasized the raw, live-band energy central to the group's identity—captured through intuitive guitar interplay, muscular drumming by Johnny Fay, and rhythmic bass lines—while incorporating experimental layers such as electronically processed vocals, keyboards, and arpeggiated effects.[16] This approach resulted in a hard-edged rock album with bold electronic and atmospheric elements, clocking in at a concise 41:25 and classified within the alternative rock genre with strong indie influences.[16][11]Recording sessions
The recording sessions for Man Machine Poem commenced in early 2016 at The Bathouse in Bath, Ontario, the band's longtime home studio, and extended over several weeks with an emphasis on preserving the spontaneity of live band performances.[18] The process involved tracking the core instrumentation as a full ensemble to capture their collective energy, followed by targeted overdubs to refine individual elements.[18] Producers Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin fostered an environment that encouraged improvisation, notably on tracks like "Machine," allowing the band to explore unscripted musical ideas in real time.[1] The sessions encountered minor delays stemming from a change in the album's working title from Dougie Stardust—a nod to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust—to Man Machine Poem after Bowie's death on January 10, 2016, as well as other unforeseen external factors.[19] Nevertheless, the project wrapped up efficiently ahead of the public announcement of lead singer Gord Downie's terminal brain cancer diagnosis on May 24, 2016.[9] Engineering duties were led by Nyles Spencer, the studio manager at The Bathouse, who handled both recording and mixing.[20] The final mastering was completed by Eric Boulanger at The Bakery in Los Angeles.[21]Music and lyrics
Musical style
Man Machine Poem represents a maturation of the Tragically Hip's alternative rock sound, incorporating post-rock expansiveness and indie experimental flourishes that blend their classic guitar-centric approach with subtle atmospheric keyboards and effects for a moody, introspective palette. The album's production evokes a "darkly illuminated" quality, marked by downtempo rhythms, stormy textures, and a contemplative restraint that prioritizes emotional depth over arena-sized bombast.[8][2] Central to the sonic identity are the intertwined guitars of Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, delivering jangly arpeggios, crunching chords, and shimmery slides that anchor the tracks, complemented by Gord Sinclair's funky, two-finger basslines and Johnny Fay's booming, hip-hoppy drumming. Gord Downie's vocals, emotive and layered, navigate these elements with varying pitch and intensity, from hushed intimacy to transcendent yowls, often amid sparse or noisy arrangements that include jazzy undertones and surfy twang.[22][8] The opening track draws echoes of David Bowie's vocal experimentation through its quirky, manipulated spoken-word elements, setting a tone of artistic risk-taking unusual for the band. Tracks like "What Blue" introduce psychedelic edges via smeared effects and off-kilter percussion, while the overall shift toward experimental intimacy recalls influences from Radiohead's Kid A and Broken Social Scene's indie textures, courtesy of co-producer Kevin Drew.[1][2]Themes
The album Man Machine Poem explores central motifs of human-machine interplay, existential reflection, Canadian identity, and subtle surrealism, with its title drawing from a poetic phrase that encapsulates the tension between organic humanity and mechanical existence.[2][22] The structure bookends the record with tracks titled "Man" and "Machine," where lyrics like "I’m a real machine / You’re a real machine" in the opener and "I watch the end of man" in the closer evoke a surreal fusion of flesh and technology, reflecting broader anxieties about dehumanization in a modern world.[22] Canadian identity emerges through grounded references to places like Sarnia in "In Sarnia," infusing the narratives with a sense of regional introspection and cultural specificity.[22][2] Key concepts across the lyrics address obsession, weariness, and soul-searching, often through abstract vignettes that probe the limits of human reason and emotion. In "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind," Downie confronts the futility of overreliance on intellect with lines urging "Just give me the news / It can all be lies," highlighting an obsessive grip on flawed cognition.[22] Weariness permeates "Tired as Fuck," capturing exhaustion amid life's relentless demands, while "Great Soul" delves into soul-searching with opening admissions like "Nothing works / I tried nothing / And I’m out of ideas," suggesting a resigned yet probing confrontation with inner voids.[2][22] Existential reflection threads through these, as in "Here, in the Dark," where solace is found in absence: "The thought that consoles me is that you aren’t here in the dark."[22] Gord Downie's poetic style employs abstract imagery that avoids literalism, favoring evocative, dreamlike phrasing to convey vulnerability and philosophical depth, as seen in the romantic distortion of "What Blue": "I love you so much, it distorts my life."[2][22] Retrospective interpretations often highlight this subtlety as a layer of emotional rawness, though the lyrics maintain a focus on universal human struggles rather than personal specifics.[2] Reviewers have characterized the album as a "summer highway album," its motifs lending themselves to road-trip introspection that mirrors the open-road freedom and solitude of Canadian landscapes.[1]Release and promotion
Singles
The lead single from Man Machine Poem was "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind", released on April 8, 2016, as a digital single through Universal Music Canada, accompanied by a music video.[23] Follow-up single "Tired as Fuck" was released on May 6, 2016, as a digital single via Universal Music Canada.[24] These releases focused exclusively on the Canadian market to build anticipation for the album launch, with no international singles issued.[11] The singles teased key themes from the album, such as introspection and human frailty, while "Tired as Fuck" garnered significant radio play across Canadian stations.[1]Marketing and tour
Man Machine Poem was released on June 17, 2016, by Universal Music Canada in multiple physical and digital formats, including CD, vinyl, and download.[25][26] Marketing for the album built pre-release anticipation through the promotion of its lead singles, which helped generate buzz ahead of the launch.[1] The campaign took on added emotional weight following frontman Gord Downie's public announcement on May 24, 2016, that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, framing the album's rollout as a poignant national moment tied to the band's ongoing legacy.[27] The album was supported by the Man Machine Poem Tour, a 15-date cross-Canada trek that ran through the summer of 2016, starting July 22 in Victoria, British Columbia, and wrapping up on August 20 at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario.[26] The tour's finale was broadcast live and commercial-free across CBC's television, radio, and digital platforms, drawing an audience of 11.7 million viewers.[28] This Kingston performance functioned as a de facto farewell for the band, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among the attendees in the sold-out crowd.[29][30]Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Upon its release in June 2016, Man Machine Poem received widespread praise from Canadian critics as a poignant and inventive final statement from the Tragically Hip, blending introspection with the band's signature rock energy.[8][31] Reviewers highlighted its emotional depth, often interpreting the album's themes of mortality and connection through the lens of frontman Gord Downie's recent terminal brain cancer diagnosis, though it was recorded beforehand.[1] Exclaim! awarded the album 8/10, describing it as a "darkly illuminated, late-career curveball likely to please and confound in equal measure," and lauded its cohesion as the band's strongest since Music @ Work (2000).[8] The Edmonton Journal gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "innovative, beautiful and [creating] truly new systems for Gord Downie’s tireless voice," while emphasizing its "deep-felt" quality as a "summer highway album that briefly escapes the weight of the doom we all share — not alone, but together in the dark."[31] Billboard's track-by-track analysis underscored the emotional weight, portraying it as a "10-track meditation on life, love, and mortality that feels both timeless and urgently of the moment," with Downie's vocals carrying an "almost unbearable" resonance.[1] While the overall reception was positive, some reviewers noted the album's experimental risks, such as its shift toward subtler, layered production over the band's earlier raw guitar-driven sound. NOW Toronto observed that the Tragically Hip had evolved into a group that "lure you in with sonic subtleties rather than brute, bludgeoning, dual-guitar force," marking it as "a snapshot of a band constantly moving away from their past and toward a strange musical unknown."[32] PopMatters echoed this with an 8/10 score, praising the band's cohesion and Downie's commanding presence but acknowledging its challenging, meditative drift.[2] The album received a Metacritic score of 77/100 based on four reviews from Canadian outlets, reflecting robust domestic acclaim.[33] Reviews frequently echoed producer Kevin Drew's description of it as a "late-career curveball," celebrating the band's unified performance and Downie's poetic delivery as a fitting capstone.[8][2]Accolades
Man Machine Poem received several accolades following its release, primarily from Canadian music institutions. The album won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards, recognizing its excellence in the rock genre.[34] The Tragically Hip also secured the Juno Award for Group of the Year at the same ceremony, highlighting the band's overall impact.[34] Additionally, Man Machine Poem was longlisted for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, placing it among 40 notable Canadian albums based on artistic merit.[35] This recognition underscored the album's critical standing within the Canadian music landscape. As the Tragically Hip's final studio album, released in 2016, with no major international awards received.[34]Commercial performance
Chart positions
Man Machine Poem debuted at number one on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart dated July 9, 2016, marking the band's eighth chart-topping album in their home country.[1] The album's strong first-week performance was fueled by widespread national loyalty and anticipation surrounding the band's promotional efforts.[36] It later ranked at number 48 on the year-end Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for 2016.[37] In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 179, representing the band's highest debut on that chart at the time.[38] It also peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.[39] Internationally, Man Machine Poem achieved modest entries, reflecting the band's primary focus on the Canadian market, with limited visibility elsewhere bolstered briefly by their farewell tour.[1]| Chart (2016) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Canadian Albums | 1 |
| Billboard 200 (US) | 179 |
| Top Rock Albums (US) | 22 |
| Canadian Albums (Year-End) | 48 |
Sales and certifications
In its first week of release, Man Machine Poem sold approximately 20,000 units in Canada, marking the highest debut for the band since 2006.[36] The album was certified Gold in Canada by Music Canada on August 24, 2016, representing 40,000 units shipped.[40] It has not received higher certifications as of 2025. As of October 2025, the album has approximately 18 million streams on Spotify.[41] A remastered vinyl edition was released in 2017, contributing to ongoing interest.[25] Despite strong domestic performance, Man Machine Poem received no major certifications in the United States, with its sales largely driven by the accompanying tour and the emotional resonance of the band's farewell amid frontman Gord Downie's health challenges.[1]Track listing and credits
Track listing
The standard edition of Man Machine Poem consists of ten tracks, all written by the members of the Tragically Hip.[25] The album has a total runtime of 41:27.[42]| 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" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "Tired as Fuck" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Hot Mic" | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Machine" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "David" | 4:32 |