In the same way Jimmy Eat World don’t do bad records, neither do The Weakerthans. Winnipeg’s finest, they are a band that can seemingly do no wrong. (Rightly) praised by the PT forumites for literally everything they do, they are one of those glorious rock bands with the ability to write melodic indie-rock songs from album to album and still keep them sounding fresh and original, without ever having to re-write their own rulebook.
‘Reunion Tour’ is a joy to behold. It’s clever yet likeable, compacted rather nicely into bite-size pop songs that don’t outstay their welcome. I always get the feeling less is more with this band and often it doesn’t sound like there are layers and layers of instrumentation, even if there are. John K Samson‘s wistful lyrical style is as good as ever, proving that he is certainly among the best songwriters of our generation.
There are too many top tunes to mention in this review; ‘Civil Twilight’ and ‘Night Windows’ are lovely, lovely songs, but then every track is great and it would be wrong of me to pick some out ahead of others. ‘Reunion Tour’ cements The Weakerthans position as one of the great bands around right now and it really would be a crime to miss out if you’re not yet familiar with the band.