{"id":2771,"date":"2017-03-10T14:20:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T14:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/versus-the-weakerthans-left-and-leaving-vs\/"},"modified":"2023-01-11T15:15:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T15:15:58","slug":"versus-the-weakerthans-left-and-leaving-vs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/versus-the-weakerthans-left-and-leaving-vs\/","title":{"rendered":"Versus: The Weakerthans – ‘Left and Leaving’ vs ‘Reunion Tour’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Formed in 1997 by vocalist John K. Samson<\/b> after he left Propagandhi, The Weakerthans<\/b> remain intractably linked with their home city of Winnipeg, spinning tales of local characters, bars and past-times. They went on hiatus in 2014, leaving a legacy that includes four of the finest indie-rock records imaginable. <\/p>\n

Having just released their new EP, ‘Calico’ – and knowing they’re big fans of the Canadian indie rockers – we tracked down the elusive and mysterious BarCreeps’<\/b> and bassist Railslide’s take on his favourite Weakerthans’<\/b> album.<\/p>\n

In the following ‘Versus\u2019<\/i>, Already Heard’s Rob Mair<\/b> wil be championing 2000\u2019s seminal \u2018Left and Leaving\u2019<\/i>, with Railslide advocating for 2007\u2019s swansong, \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"Left and Leaving (by Rob Mair)<\/h2>\n

In the words of noted American psychiatrist David Viscott, \u201cLists are a way of trying to get through the day.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Left and leaving\u2019<\/i> is choc-full of lists; the unwanted items in a garage sale; an itinerary of objects to bring for a covert tear-up against society; the remaining goods owned by a mechanic school drop-out after his suicide. Each a testament to the struggle of getting through the day, yet forever embedded in place and time.<\/p>\n

To this day, Samson<\/b> remains a peerless lyricist \u2013 indeed, last year\u2019s solo \u2018Winter Wheat\u2019<\/i> is a masterclass in storytelling \u2013 but it\u2019s on \u2018Left and Leaving\u2019<\/i> that his poetic voice really jumped to the fore. Whether he\u2019s transporting you to the urban streets of Winnipeg on the title track, or the rolling Manitoba tundra on the heartbreaking \u2018Elegy for Elsabet\u2019<\/i> (which I remain convinced is about a blind girl), every song has a setting and a purpose.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Quite why an album set in such a specific place \u2013 and certainly a product of its entirely alien environment \u2013 should leave such a marked impact on a 19-year-old journalism student in Southampton remains one of life\u2019s mysteries. But it did. And it\u2019s still an album that I return to time and again.<\/p>\n

That \u2018Left and Leaving\u2019<\/i> is a timeless record is unquestionable. However, the challenges faced by the subjects of \u2018Exiles Among You\u2019<\/i> and \u2018History of the Defeated\u2019<\/i> are more perhaps even more relevant today than 15 years ago. Male suicide rates, for example, continue to rise, and levels of poverty are relatively unmoved in 15 years. Samson captures this futility and struggle for life when the daily grind consists of spare change, blank ATMs and stolen goods.<\/p>\n

Yet there\u2019s a poetic beauty to Samson<\/b>\u2019s tales that is never heavy-handed or manipulating. There are no caricatures on \u2018Left and Leaving\u2019<\/i>, with each song a real and relatable insight; a look behind the eyes into someone\u2019s soul. As he grew as a songwriter, these fictional characters were replaced by real-life people and genuine stories, yet they never lost their humanity. Just on \u2018Left and Leaving\u2019<\/i>, when it could be you willing those traffic lights to change, it hits home that little bit harder.<\/p>\n

\"\"Reunion Tour (by BarCreeps’ Railslide)<\/h2>\n

I was originally asked to review \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> for a magazine called Plan B. I\u2019d loved every Weakerthans<\/b> album before it and I felt mildly subversive getting a band that were so unabashedly melodic – and male – in the magazine, so I felt good.<\/p>\n

On the first listen to \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> my world crumbled. I wanted those dynamic guitar riffs that hoisted Samson<\/b>\u2019s vocals atop their shoulders to an unparalleled level of brilliance. But they weren\u2019t there for me. This felt so\u2026 safe, too well-rounded, lacking in edge. I panned it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And yet, over time, \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> is the album I\u2019ve turned to more than any from the band, making this piece something of penance for my sins. As the album became familiar to me and the subtlety of the arrangements bore fruit, I got as close to falling in love with an album as is possible. For nothing else, \u2018Tournament Of Hearts\u2019<\/i> crystallised the march through time so simply as Sampson lamented \u201cWhy can\u2019t I ever stop\/Where I want to stay?\u201d<\/i> within a deliciously paced curling (the sport) metaphor.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason this is so powerful is because, even for The Weakerthans<\/b>, \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> cuts to the chase. It\u2019s less gilded than its predecessors. Take \u2018Sun In An Empty Room\u2019<\/i>, where the song title alone sits as poetically as it does philosophically. At the time I remember dismissing it as a Travelling Wilburys\u2019 pastiche. I was so wrong (and I probably only made the comment because I\u2019d newly discovered the Travelling Wilburys and heard some similarities in the harmonies). Even in my rage though, I still loved the song\u2019s keyboard solo \u2013 still do \u2013 its\u2019 so simple and beautiful.<\/p>\n

With it being such a succinct collection of songs it\u2019s also their most visually evocative. For example, the snapshot of sunlight in empty places is still one I consider occasionally and smile about. Think about all the empty rooms that are flooded with light each day, each one potentially a masterpiece.<\/p>\n

The playfulness was also something that\u2019s stuck with me. The fact that \u2018Sun In An Empty Room\u2019<\/i> was followed by \u2018Night Windows\u2019<\/i> \u2013 both of these song titles being about \u2018not seeing\u2019 \u2013 makes me chuckle. Should a track-listing make the listener chuckle? It\u2019s probably an \u2018in joke\u2019 for no one but me, but that shows the band\u2019s ability to make personal connections with the listener.<\/p>\n

Yet it also felt like \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> was also saying goodbye. Listening to \u2018Bigfoot\u2019<\/i>, with its simple perfection and Samson<\/b>\u2019s soft story telling over solo acoustic guitar and some modest brass explains why his solo return was inevitable. Leaving something like this to stand alone within a Weakerthans<\/b> album is borderline irresponsible, while his path needed to turn to further, more personal, reflections.<\/p>\n

So, while the current absence of The Weakerthans<\/b> is sad, they are still with us through Samson\u2019s words. \u2018Reunion Tour\u2019<\/i> closes with \u2018Utilities\u2019<\/i> and the lyric \u2018Seems the most I have to offer\/doesn\u2019t offer much\u2026 make this something somebody can use\u2019<\/i>. It seems clear that it wouldn\u2019t be fair for Samson<\/b> to take his bandmates with him in the next steps of his journey, adding to the poignancy of this impeccable album.<\/p>\n

Railgrind plays bass in BarCreeps<\/b> and writes for numerous punk rock music magazines and websites. <\/p>\n

BarCreeps<\/b> EP by BarCreeps<\/b> is out now on Dirty Sushi Records<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n

BarCreeps<\/b> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

John K. Samson<\/b> plays England in May. \u2018Winter Wheat\u2019<\/i> is out now on Anti-<\/b>.<\/p>\n

May
\n18 O2 Academy Islington, London
\n19 Soup Kitchen, Manchester<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formed in 1997 by vocalist John K. Samson after he left Propagandhi, The Weakerthans remain intractably linked with their home city of Winnipeg, spinning tales of local characters, bars and past-times. They went on hiatus in 2014, leaving a legacy that includes four of the finest indie-rock records imaginable. Having just released their new EP, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":16183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2123],"tags":[2124,122,2125,2128,2127,15022,2126],"class_list":["post-2771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-versus","tag-barcreeps","tag-feature","tag-john-k-samson","tag-left-and-leaving","tag-reunion-tour","tag-rob-mair","tag-the-weakerthans"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVersus: The Weakerthans - 'Left and Leaving' vs 'Reunion Tour' - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Formed in 1997 by vocalist John K. 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