Sorry, that was my anonymous comment, forgot to include my name.  

My thoughts are still pretty scattered at the moment, but they include:
- Lyrically, this is much sadder and more dark than Reconstruction Site, maybe even moreso than Left and Leaving
- If I had to sum up the lyrical themes in a single phrase, it'd be "people left behind"
- This album represents one more step towards universality and away from the "how it is to live in the city of Winnipeg" themes that dominated the first two albums, which is why I thought One Great City! seemed out of place on Reconstruction Site
- I can't trust the above point, because as a Winnipegger my feelings about this band are far too wrapped up in my feelings about my city
- Night Windows may be the best song they've ever written, and lyrically it reminds me a lot of the Bonaduces
- The Weakerthans get massive bonus points for recording a fairly short album, and I wish that almost every band currently working would follow their example and only put on the album what needs to be there
- The vocal melody on Tournament of Hearts is taken right from Time's Arrow  

That's the major ones so far.

Well, I'm definitely still absorbing it, and the monumental amazingness of the last one didn't really register for me until I sat down and paid close attention to the whole thing, including the lyrics, which I haven't done yet for this one.  

But I'm provisionally pleased, at the very least.  

What do you think, oh anonymous contributor #7?

So now that it's been out a few weeks, thoughts?

Michael: how is Track Star? I've never heard of them, but as a former high school track and field enthusiast (hardly "star") I'm always hooked by the very few and far between references to it in pop culture (see" "Stars of Track and Field," Stars of Track and Field).  

Of course, "track" in this case could very well be referring to something else...  

PS to glenn: new Jimmy Eat World in October now too!

I bought a record by a band called Track Star, thinking that it was by Stars of Track and Field. Weird.

And Foundry Field Recordings and Stars of Track and Field. But then again, there's the Magnetic Fields, the Field Mice, Fields of the Nephillim, Field Mob and Sense Field. It's a crowded Field field...

As long as we're talking about bands, there's Fields, The Field - and don't forget Field Music, whose stuff I like a lot. Is "Field" this year's "Jesus," "Orange," "Fish," or "Wolf"? (Hey Jer - long time no see!)

Well, I didn't really respond to Wolf, Voxtrot, Los Campesinos!, Okkervil River or LCDS, so I guess you can stop wondering about those. The one Field track I found on their evasive website was inconclusive, so dunno about them.  

I certainly want to like the new Wheat and BT, but after a few plays each neither has really reached me yet. My two favorite Boston-ish records of the year so far are the Bags' Mt. Rockmore and Helms' Secret Doors.  

Oh, and thanks! Lyra's still listening to Pink and Shakira songs from last year. You'd think somebody who wasn't even alive in 2006 would be more into new stuff.

Gah! Haven't checked in here since forever and look at all that's happened...  

Embarrasingly belated congrats on the birth of your (adorable) child, glenn and Bethany!  

The new Weakerthans is fantastic, though I suspect that I'm losing the ability to assess them with anything resembling objectivity. They're pretty much my favorite band now.  

I like Parts & Labor too, but I have to wonder what glenn thinks of Patrick Wolf, Voxtrot, Los Campesinos!, Okkervil River, LCD Soundsystem and The Field (not to be confused with the Britpop act Fields). And how about those new Wheat and Buffalo Tom records?

Yes! I just discovered this news yesterday, in fact! I was already humming merrily in anticipation of new HIM and Nightwish albums, but it's good to be reminded that there's more to life than metal. Not that Tori, Low, Manic Street Preachers, Maximo Park, Paramore, Parts & Labor and Runrig hadn't reminded me of this already this year...

Did you know there's going to be a new Weakerthans album in three weeks? Finding this out just made my month.  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reunion_Tour