Brand new to this band as well as this album, so I should probably spend a little more time with it. But the spirit moves me now, and I rarely vote in polls, so...
If I were rating on mix and sonics alone (I usually go 30% content, 30% mix, 30% sound, 10% "package," literal or figurative), this would be an unambiguous 10. First of all: two versions of the album, both of them in surround? Come on! Others can describe the mixes with more accuracy and detail than I can, but impressionistically, I find them creative, balanced, attentive, often subtle, almost always appropriate to the moods and characteristics of each song. (Several of the dance remixes are in the acid-jazz/chill-out vein, which I really like.) Fidelity and mastering are terrific: clear, detailed, strong bass, lots of "space," great dynamics. Moody. Cinematic. One of the best-sounding DTS albums I can think of. I don't find the music/songwriting/arranging/production uniformly strong, so I guess I'd knock off a point on that score. But the good tunes are really good, and I like this album a lot. 9 from me.
