For example, "New-Fashioned Imperalist" just seems stereotypical - which is probably is the point - but it's a cheap shot, it's lightweight, and it isn't adding anything new to the discussion. The record also falls short in terms of relating to the audience how Ringenberg felt when this was happening to him, with the exception of "Rebel Flag In Germany". When he does reach inside, it's rewarding:

I sink down in my seat and I search for a disguise
I say "I am Canadian" with averted eyes
Am I being paranoid? Do they think it's me?
Do they think I hung that flag in central Germany?

In the end, I was hoping for a record that would reflect Ringenberg's unique experience while abroad those two years; instead, I find it to be disappointing because it seems too generic and almost knee-jerk: instead of trying to dialogue or explore and examine, it's the story of how he just agrees with what people were saying to him. In "American Question," which opens the record, he relates:

Yes we can bomb most any land
Then send their kids to Disneyland
Give them a Big Mac and a prayer
Then forget that they are there

It's too easy, almost, to just stop here. I would have liked to see Ringenberg add to the discussion, bring a new, thoughtful perspective to bear, and not just add to the continual parade of America-is-bad-and-awful. Ask the deeper questions, examine the larger issues, add something to the discussion. Maybe he felt that his place as a songwriter was simply to document what he saw (and, too occasionally, how he felt); in any event, it just seems unfortunate.

Better moments on the record: his tribute to Link Wray (simply titled, "Link Wray"), a lovely cover of Merle Haggard's "Rainbow Stew," and the achingly beautiful "She Hung The Moon (Until It Died)".