Thanks for the link. I haven't read his article in depth, but from a quick skim of his thesis statement, I have to agree. It's the first thing I noticed about the album (and about the Test For Echo album before it).

Interesting.
I have purchased every. single. Rush. album... until the last two.
I just couldn't stomach TFE or Vapor Trails.
I assumed it was for other reasons, but maybe the mastering had a little something
to do with it, too.
Two and a half decades of Rush CDs on my shelf come to an abrupt end at that point.

Nonetheless, I have gone to every Rush tour for almost 20 years, and I'll be at
this one also. But that's just because they go light on the crappy stuff from their
last couple of albums, and time it properly so that I can be out of earshot buying
a beer when they do. ("stuff *this* message in a modem, buddy" What kind of
crap is that?!)

Last time they played an entire side of 2112. That was quite a surprise, and quite
cool. Doubt they'll try anything like it again. It seemed to confuse the crowd
who had seemingly never heard those songs.

And I'm definitely going to see them in an outdoor venue to help decrease the
chance of lousy mixing.