[The Darkest Canuck]

This is one of those debates that keeps recycling itself, but what the hey...

My arguments are:

1. IVL suffers from awful production that saps the band of its intensity and menace;

Aaaand

2. Gord's lyrics remain too bogged down in the airy, pseudo-academic abstractions that characterized M@W. The verses to 'Dire Wolf' almost sink the song, for instance (but the great chorus redeems it).

But IVL does represent an improvement on M@W. It actually has songs with hooks. With better production, it would have been a perfectly decent Hip album---but still not their best effort, IMHO. Maybe akin to Henhouse.

i couldn't disagree with you more, the production values are what makes this such a great album (obviously aside from the brilliant songs), the way good life just kinda floats in your ears, and then the dramatic musical 180 that occurs when silver jet pierces your speakers, the huuuuuuuuuge sound of all tore up, the elegant and smooth tones the permiate the air when you hear glass, the rich and dreamy warmth of the darkest one, the raw electric bliss of are you ready, the M@W-esque rock and roll magic of Use It Up, this album's got it all and IMO it's their best produced effort since DFN. it's absolutely perfect, and lyrically i think it's probably my favourite album of theirs period.