Not to harp on British commonwealths, but listening to In Between Evolution a few times really put me in the mood to hear some Midnight Oil. The comparison is especially apt as Gordon’s voice ages toward gruffness and as the band angrily explores explicit political themes in “It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night” and “Gus The Polar Bear from Central Park.” Elsewhere, the band spins beautifully meditative lines on “If New Orleans is Beat” and “Are We Family?” and rev up the buzzsaws on the ripsnorting opener “Heaven is a Better Place Today.” The hard songs rock hard, the slow songs are delicate and gorgeous, and Gordon’s distinctive voice fit in better than it probably should (…like Eddie Vedder with a head cold).

Overall, In Between Evolution is a well chosen title for an album that sounds like a band finally growing comfortable with their strengths, overcoming their weaknesses, and outgrowing their reputation as also-rans. If they’re not yet shoo-ins for the title of Canada’s Finest Band, they are at least getting ready for a run at the prize. Definitely worth a listen, especially for the unconverted.

*I don’t know how this works in the rest of the world, but here in New England, every time something Canadian happens (song by the Barenaked Ladies, television appearance by Dave Foley, gravy on French fries, Mike Myers), it is a law of nature that any Canadian in the vicinity must immediately say, “Y’know; that’s Canadian.”Oddly, this does not apply to negative phenomena like Celine Dion, currency inflation, or Jean Chrétien. Since this litany gets old after the five hundredth reminder that the Kids In The Hall, are, in fact, Canadian, I’ve starting saying it for them “Y’know… they’re Canadian.” The look on their face when they go to say what someone already said is priceless, like a cat seeing itself in a mirror for the first time. And, unlike the original thing, I never get tired of this.