[direwolf74]

there isn't any remarkable musical performance from the band members, it's just all these little parts thrown together, mixed in with a bunch of sound effects.

Gotta disagree with you there. I think Johnny Fay is the star of the album. It's his drumming that really drives the record, unlike previous albums where he was always somewhat buried in the mix. Dare I say it's his best performance in the studio in a long time. I really dig Gord Sinclair's work as well, particularly on Here in the Dark, Machine, and What Blue. And now that I think about it, there is some really cool and intricate guitar work from Rob and Paul on songs like Dark, In Sarnia, Great Soul, Tired as Fuck, and the epic beast that is Machine. Not to mention Rob's beautiful, understated solos on What Blue, In Sarnia and Machine.

I just can't help to think that the band has been neutered on this record.

Really? For me it's the complete opposite. This is the first album since Music@Work where the band really stretches out their legs and lets their freak flag fly. I would argue that the band was neutered During the Bob Rock era. He clearly wanted to reign the Hip in and give them a high-gloss shine made for radio; to give them more of a pop-rock feel, and for Gord to tone down the weirdness and use his "hotel voice". And for the most part, Rock accomplished what he set out to do, which was to make a big, polished, mainstream rock album. And that's fine. I actually really like World Container. WATS on the other hand is not their finest moment. There's a handful of good songs on that record, but there's also a lot of filler that I rarely revisit (Exact Feeling, LIAF, Struggle Has a Name, Coffee Girl, etc..). I think NFPA was a step back in the right direction, and was my favorite late-period Hip album up to this point. But Man Machine Poem is the album I've been waiting for them to make for 16 years. It's a tight, focused, adventurous collection, and it's hitting all the sweet spots for me in terms of songwriting, melody, performance, and lyrics. Best thing they've done since Phantom Power in my opinion. It kills me to think this might be their last one, because I think it signals a bold new direction for the band. As someone mentioned earlier, this album should be a jumping off point for a whole new era of Hip, similar to what DFN did in the mid-90s.