[Killer Whale Tank]

Darkest One is merely an OK Hip song. It was probably chosen as a single because it reflected their staple sound - unfortunately this seems to be how singles are generally chosen, by trying to meet fan expectations rather than just going with the best song - it palls compared to earlier 'rock' singles, lacking a convincing resolution in the chorus. ('and yer the darkest waaaa-aaaawwwn' lacks imagination).

By contrast, Good Life is a soaring ballad that shouldn't work bit does, sustained by a classic arch Downie melody, some haunting lines, and that swirling guitar sound. Dire Wolf - despite still more too-precious 'thesaurus' writing by Gord in the verses, and the awkward metre of 'done with acting,' has one of the most amazing choruses they ever gave us. Those magnificent, rising chords, the fantastic lyric! You can see that water, you're in that rickety boat. Manwhile, Dark Canuck's second movement ('Metamorphosis') is sonically everything the rest of the album isn't: throbbing, immediate, intense, and thank Christ, bass-heavy. And its study of Canada in the War on Terror is disturbing and potent. I got to ask GD about this briefly one time, and he said he loved the image of the people in the drive in honking their horns at the death of the villain. No kidding! That was War on Terror politics in a nutshell.

We've relinquished enough/
and it goes on and on and on

Amen, brother.