The Grand Bounce
The Grand Bounce | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 June 2010 | |||
Recorded | August 2009 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 49:57 | |||
Label | Universal Music Canada | |||
Producer | Chris Walla[1] | |||
Gord Downie chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
CHARTattack | [1] |
PopMatters | [2] |
The Grand Bounce is the third solo album by Gord Downie, the lead singer of The Tragically Hip. It was released on 8 June 2010.[3]
Background
Downie's backing band, "The Country of Miracles", is composed of established Canadian musicians
The Grand Bounce was produced by Chris Walla, a guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. Downie had met Walla during the Pemberton Festival in 2008 when Walla encountered Downie backstage.[4] The album was recorded over a span of two weeks at The Tragically Hip's recording studio, the Bathouse, located in Kingston, Ontario, the home town of the band.[4]
The album takes its title from Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell, a book which Downie was reading. While reading the book, Downie came across the phrase "the grand bounce" referring to desertion, which he later used as the title to the album.
The painting on the cover of the album, titled Mohr for the late painter Ingeborg Mohr, was painted by Downie. He painted it for the Creative Arts Jem Auction, located in Toronto.
Track information
The seventh track of the album, "The Drowning Machine", was incorporated into the 2011 album 20 Odd Years by fellow Canadian artist Buck 65. The song "Whispers of the Waves" uses various lines from "The Drowning Machine". Gord Downie served as a guest vocalist on Buck 65's release.[5]
The song "Night Is for Getting" was originally released in 2004 as a bonus track to The Tragically Hip's album In Between Evolution.[6] The lyrics were heard throughout the In Violet Light tour, as Downie has a tendency to incorporate unreleased lyrics into his live performances.[6] The 2004 release contained a heavier arrangement then the Grand Bounce release due to the incorporation of more distorted musical components. The Grand Bounce version was generally more acoustic and keyboard based, which is similar to Downie's previous solo work. Downie was joined by a female vocalist, who provided backing vocals throughout the song and during the chorus.
The closing track "Pinned" contains various noticeable background chatter and noises. Downie recorded the vocal track while on a VIA rail train.[7] The track was recorded on GarageBand and the microphone picked up different noises in the area.[7] This included the train's whistle, which is heard multiple times throughout the song, and a conversation which is heard towards the end of the song.[7]
Reception
Ross Langager of
The Grand Bounce was listed as a Top 10 Canadian album of the year by
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The East Wind" | 4.29 |
2. | "Moon Over Glenora" | 3.10 |
3. | "As a Mover" | 4.16 |
4. | "The Dance and Its Disappearance" | 3.49 |
5. | "The Hard Canadian" | 3.29 |
6. | "Gone" | 3.53 |
7. | "The Drowning Machine" | 3.26 |
8. | "Yellow Days" | 3.56 |
9. | "Night is for Getting" | 2.38 |
10. | "Moonslow Yer Lashes" | 3.11 |
11. | "Retrace" | 3.46 |
12. | "Broadcast" | 5.12 |
13. | "Pinned" | 4.42 |
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[9] | 8 |
References
- ^ )
- ^ a b Langager, Ross. "Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles : The Grand Bounce". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- chartattack.com, 24 March 2010.
- ^ a b c Rayner, Ben (7 June 2010). "The self-explanatory Gord Downie". Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- exclaim.ca. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ a b "The Tragically Hip Unreleased Songs Information Page". Hip Museum. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Cross, Alam. "A Guided Tour Through The Grand Bounce with Gord Downie Himself". Explore Music. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- CBC Radio 2. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ "Gord Downie Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2020.