Phantom Power

It must be daunting to follow up such a critically successful record as Trouble at the Henhouse, but 1998's Phantom Power continued to deliver some of the Hip's most-loved songs: "Poets," "Bobcaygeon" and "Thompson Girl." With this sixth album, Downie built on his title as lyrical heavyweight, name-dropping a small Ontario town in the same song that references the 1933 Christie Pits riots while poetically wrapping each verse so that it could be sung enthusiastically by every fan, regardless of their ties to the band's home province. Phantom Power was a perfect first decade wrap-up for the Hip.
-HG