World Container

Whether you'll latch onto World Container depends on what kind of Hip you want: the anthem-ready, Heritage Moment poets of the '90s, or the broader poets on their 10th album, trying to break the (successful) mould they've created for themselves. Downie's lyrics still tie the music together, but the album is less Hip traditional, with a poppier, angstier edge to the songs. The frontman continues to put his finger on what he finds inadequate in society (in the video for "In View," he sings "I've been meaning to call you" in a world full of other people's cell phones, but no working landlines), and while the track "Lonely End of the Rink" premiered on Hockey Night in Canada, its crashing jams and reggae-infused interstitials make it one of the Hip's least accessible songs. This album spans a lot for the Hip, and sometimes it feels like too much.
-Holly Gordon