Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip and general poetic badass, is releasing new music.
This is incredible, if you’ll permit some editorializing, dear reader.
Not much information is available at this time, save for a short note on his website:
“Gord Downie announces Introduce Yerself, a double album of twenty-three new songs.”
Pre-orders for the album, to be released October 27, will begin Friday, Sept 29, through his website, http://www.gorddownie.com/.
Downie’s made a handful of appearances since the Kingston concert in August 2016 that completed the Man Machine Poem tour for the Hip, largely believed to be the band’s final go-round in light of Downie’s diagnosis with aggressive brain cancer.
About a month after that emotional concert, watched by millions in Canada and beyond on the CBC, he released Secret Path, an album and accompanying graphic novel and animated movie telling the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who died of exposure and starvation fleeing an Indian Residential School in the 1960s. Downie’s said he wants his legacy not to be centered solely on The Hip but telling Chanie’s story, and that of so many other children and families who were separated and treated poorly by the Canadian government for so long. During the Kingston show, he implored the nation, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to “do something” in the name of reconciliation.
Every time Downie appears in public, it’s met with tears and relief and an outpouring of love. Not much is known about his health these days, but news of a new album is sure to be embraced with joy and a rush to order multiple copies as soon as possible.
I’d advise against the holding of breath or the crossing of fingers for a tour in support of this album. That’s ok. This album will be a gift.
Here’s the trailer posted on YouTube Wednesday morning, previewing one of the songs on the new album:
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