[andrew sharpe]

This raises another, slightly sacrilegious question: how do people like Gord's vocals on this record?

Love it

I love Gord in lower registers but find that his higher-register stuff has gotten thinner, more warbly

Much of this record is sung in those higher registers. The pitch is a bit erratic at times also

Yep, still love it. In fact it might be the eccentricity in his vocals that I like. Unless you're Thom Yorke, I prefer non-traditional male falsettos, ie Josh Homme, Pattersoon Hood in The Sands of Iowa Jima, Springsteen in Reno. Adds colour.

he makes slightly odd decisions to subvert the melody

Sometimes his habit of "Music At Work"-ing the vocal melody bugs me but I kinda like it on this record, In Sarnia being the best example. Perhaps because it's the exception this time, instead of the rule. On several MMP songs he actually copies Robby's riff exactly, which it seems he has not done for awhile, or at least not made a habit of.