The Tragically Hip

‘Now For Plan A’

Certain bands conjure up feelings of a bygone time for people — not necessarily a specific event, but more just the remembered feeling of a time. The Tragically Hip is one of those bands for me. Listening to some of the deeper tracks on “Now For Plan A,” I close my eyes, and suddenly I’m a senior in high school again listening to “Day For Night” in my room. This works both for and against the Hip’s new album. On one hand, it’s great to hear the Canrockers get back to their mid-’90s, “big rock from small places” glory. On the other, we’ve heard most of this before. The opening two tracks, “At Transformation” and “Man Machine Poem,” are the most disparate — and arguably best — tracks on the album, while ending track “Goodnight Attawapiskat” is right in the Hip’s proudly Canadian wheelhouse. It’s an entertaining, if slightly nostalgic, listen. CV

Want your new CD reviewed? Email us a link at soundcheck@dmcityview.com or mail a physical copy to: Cityview, 414 61st Street, Des Moines, IA 50312.