Weakerthans Back, Strongerthan Ever
Somehow I keep reading reviews on the Weakerthans describing them as a punk band. Am I missing something? It's indie folk, if anything, filled with beautiful prose and narratives. It's chilly and not surprisingly so. Recorded in Canada above a closed factory in the dead of winter, the frosty feeling seeped under the doors and onto the album. Never is it colder than a touching homage to a hockey goalie called "Elegy for Gump Worsely", but Reunion Tour also has many warmer moments to melt the edge of the ice. "Night Windows" (a linesthroughlines fave) channels Deathcab while "Sun In an Empty Room" recalls the best of Some by Sea. Overall, however, the sound is entirely Weakerthans, pop-tinged and sprawling, lyrically enriched and inspiring. I can't believe I've slept on this band for this long. Don't let it happen to you.
"I wish I were a toothbrush or a solder gun. Make me something someone can use."
Listen:
Relative Surplus Value
Sun In an Empty Room
[from Reunion Tourbuy]
posted by drewcif at 4:10 PM
3 Comments:
If I had to guess, I would suggest that the Weakerthans track "Aside," which is kinda punky, is their best known track, since it plays during the closing credits of "The Wedding Crashers" movie. The confusion might stem from that.
It might also have something to do with the fact that most of their first fans (like me) were punks who found the weakerthans through John's earlier work with Propaghandi....
Andrew,
I'm sure you're right. I'm definitely aware of his earlier ties, but it's just that that was 10 years ago and I don't get why people are still calling them punk and saying they are like "indie for the Warped Tour set." Warped Tour? Really??
Post a Comment
<< Home