09-03-2014, 11:25 PM
I LOVE this record. Well, except for the opening track. And I'm pleasantly surprised to finding it getting a lot of love here, because as I recall it was pretty much crapped on at the time of release, which I didn't get at the time and still don't. I rate it as one of their best.
I get that some people prefer slick, U2-style production. But count me as among those who *prefer* the rawness and looseness of the sound; it's like they're an underground or alternative act on this record, and I was sort of disappointed at the time that so many Hip fans couldn't handle the 'basement' sound this record generated. That they couldn't see the fun in a truly demented track like 'Summer is Killing Us' also seemed a bit of a drag. In terms of content, it's just a tank: consistently strong throughout, with particularly exceptional standouts like 'Gus' and 'You Are Everywhere' punctuating the whole affair. The songs are complex and intelligent - no three-chord anthems here (well, OK, the wonderful 'Makeshift!' Occurring to each other under the setups of the stars!!)- but with a ton of focus and urgency behind them, and Gord's lyrics are as incisive as they get.
It's frustrating to feel oneself on a completely different wavelength from other putative fans of an artist you like. So the lukewarm response to IBE kind of bummed me out, and it's nice to realize I'm not alone after all! :thumb: (Perhaps I should add that I'm no uncritical fanboy: M@W, IVL, and WC are all on my personal scrap-pile, for instance).
I get that some people prefer slick, U2-style production. But count me as among those who *prefer* the rawness and looseness of the sound; it's like they're an underground or alternative act on this record, and I was sort of disappointed at the time that so many Hip fans couldn't handle the 'basement' sound this record generated. That they couldn't see the fun in a truly demented track like 'Summer is Killing Us' also seemed a bit of a drag. In terms of content, it's just a tank: consistently strong throughout, with particularly exceptional standouts like 'Gus' and 'You Are Everywhere' punctuating the whole affair. The songs are complex and intelligent - no three-chord anthems here (well, OK, the wonderful 'Makeshift!' Occurring to each other under the setups of the stars!!)- but with a ton of focus and urgency behind them, and Gord's lyrics are as incisive as they get.
It's frustrating to feel oneself on a completely different wavelength from other putative fans of an artist you like. So the lukewarm response to IBE kind of bummed me out, and it's nice to realize I'm not alone after all! :thumb: (Perhaps I should add that I'm no uncritical fanboy: M@W, IVL, and WC are all on my personal scrap-pile, for instance).