Packaging/Bonus Review
If you're like me, you're probably looking at this in comparison to the original release version of IF, and wondering if you should spend the extra $10 on this album instead. And since I didn't read anything specific about that when I was ordering, I thought a review on the packaging difference and extras would be nice. I think everyone's pretty much covered the music reviews dead on too, so this is mostly for collecting purposes. :)

This 2-Disc album is not in a regular jewel case. Instead, it folds out into three panels with pockets inside, with the main CD in the left panel, the booklet in the middle and the bonus disc in the right one. Anyone who is familiar with Jhonen Vasquez will automatically be drawn to the artwork found in IF, which is very detailed and colorful that's reminiscent of his JTHM/Squee comic books. If you don't know who he is (or just know him for Invader Zim), you'll be introduced to his playful yet morbid style of humor which actually suits MSI really well. Definitely not mom-friendly (duh), but it's certainly a crowd pleaser. There's even a mini-comic inside the booklet that explains the artwork on both CDs as well, which is a small yet effective connection that I found enjoyable. This is a must-have if you enjoy purchasing CD's for their overall presentation and for sharing purposes (with friends asking me about MSI simply because they saw this in my car, for example).

The Bonus disc contains 4 videos of MSI performing live at different venues along with the official music video to Animal. The audio and quality of the videos are great, but if you've watched their performances on YouTube already, it might leave you feeling as if you've seen these before and might not be worth the extra money, but otherwise are great to have in a collection. If you have friends that might not know who MSI are and are curious about them, this comes in handy as well. Also, in comparison to the design of the actual physical album, I found the main menu of the disc to be a bit disappointing. It's just the cover with simple yellow font on top of the fingers that links to each video, which kind of felt a bit cheap compared to other bonus discs that I've owned. A little more creativity would've really added that extra kick in comparison to the regular version (such as an easter egg), but at this point I could be nit picky.

Overall this is a great addition to any fan's collection who are both new and familiar with MSI. Whether you like their previous albums or this one music-wise is completely up to you though. I personally felt disappointed at first, but after listening to it for two months straight, I absolutely love it. Have fun!

4.5
When I first got the album I was excited. I remember "Revenge" was on this album and "Bomb This Track" which are two of my fav songs. Though Revenge was different from the live version if you have MSIs "Alienating Our Audience" Live CD. And it was a little weird at 1st. After the 1st listen of the album I really didn't know what to think.

I almost felt like this wasnt as good of a CD as it should be. Just felt like something was missing. I really loved the album "You'll Rebel to Anything" and I don't know if its because in that album there seem to be a lot more electronics than this album I dunno. But it just felt eh...

After a few more times the album really grew on me. I realized of course they wont make another album sounding like "You'll Rebel to Anything" as with all there other releases none of there albums sound the same. Also I guess cause the album was new and I didn't know but few of the treacks? But like I said the album really grows on you the more you listen to it.

I like all the tracks on this album my fav would have to be "Bomb This Track". The only song I really don't care for is "Money". I mean I will listen to the full album without skipping but it's just the only song I don't really care for. All and all this is a great album.

The DVD that came with it was alright. I expected a little more. Seemed too short maybe with more extras it be a lot better. And the art work is just great. So I give this album a 4.5 I just wouldn't give it a solid 5. Though it was prob one of my fav albums by them.

a fun disappointment
I've loved MSI for years. This album is like MSI light. They seem to have lost momentum and imagination with this latest effort. It's not a bad album. It's fun and fairly energetic, but nothing like their previous work. I think that the most disturbing aspect of this album is that its radio worthy. If one were to use such a droll and distasteful word as "edgy" to describe their first few albums, the descriptive word in this case would simply be "fun". That's just my opinion. See what you think for yourself. I'm just a bit disappointed.

If.
I was a little disappointed with this CD. It's pretty good overall, and it's still MSI, but there are a few things that get me.

1) The CD is a lot less offensive.


2) The mixing of the songs is a little unusual at places.

Sometimes it's just that the vocals are shoddy (in Evening Wear, especially). Most of the songs have Urine's vocals much louder than the other instruments.. I find it slightly boring because that means that the drumming and guitarring is much softer. Take Revenge, for example. The guitar is faint (though I do really like the synth in that song). Anyway, I think these tracks could've sounded better in studio.

3) This CD is a more mainstream approach.

Definitely a different approach to writing music, seeing as MSI actually wrote music this time. The songs are longer (sometimes bordering on repetitive-- specifically, the first minute or so of Prescription could've been nixed). I'm not so much disappointed by the songs' length, seeing as many like this compared to their short ones (FGWSSS: 30 tracks, less than an hour, FTW). What I find most disappointing is how they've really embraced the whole mainstream approach.
Nothing wrong with attracting more fans, but does it really need to warrant this type of change in the actual music? As much as I give props to MSI for writing a kickass first track, I remember when they're TV performance came on. People, myself included, said, "Oh, this is cool, guys. Shut up, no one would ever play them on the radio. It's just a tv performance."


Overall, I think this CD is pretty good. I don't think it's a bad album, lots of people love it and I love many of the tracks. However, I still find the more mainstream approach disappointing and I think the sound of the album could have been better. The tracks are more 'natural', I guess, with less electronic sounds. A lot of these songs sound naked without it, though.

Yes But..
I love the album, but at the same time i feel that Jimmy is catering to a new generation and has tried something new. I'm so glad that I finally have a studio copy of Revenge, but I liked the way he dragged out the title in the live track. It feels like he really has a new direction with his material, but I would have given my right arm for this album two years ago...
Overall, this is an excellent album but don't expect another Tight or Frankenstein Girls because something so catastrophic to the music world could never be duplicated. If you didn't enjoy You'll Rebel To Anything, for the hard hitting punk electronica less hip hop is on this album.