Skip to main content

The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

Whilst it is not officially out until 25 September, the new Weakerthans album is out there and yes I did go get it (although I do also have it on pre-order in hard-copy CD from Amazon).

Four years since the band's third - and best album - Reconstruction Site, so the new album has been a long time coming. Thankfully, I can tell you, it is worth the wait. True, it is not as good a RS, but it is still pretty damn good, and John Samson's lyrics continue to amuse and challenge - not many albums where Curling (one of the few sports us Scots are any good at) and Ice Hockey both get songs (Tournament of Hearts, and Elegy for Gump Worsley); that you get songs from the perspective of a Bus Driver (Civil Twilight) and a Cat (Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure). The latter a fine companion piece to Plea From A Cat Named Virtute from the RS album.

What's more Civil Twilight, Sun in an Empty Room and (current single) Night Windows could all be hits [ok, so not likely in the UK, but, one can but hope].

There should be a UK date or two in December to look forward to. In the meantime I recommend you all buy the album.

Track List:
01. Civil Twilight
02. Hymn of the Medical Oddity
03. Relative Surplus Value
04. Tournament of Hearts
05. Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure
06. Elegy for Gump Worsley
07. Sun in an Empty Room
08. Night Windows
09. Bigfoot!
10. Reunion Tour
11. Utilities

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Substack: the new blogging and a new music newsletter

  Hello again my old blogger blog. Just checking in to plug the new substack newsletter I'm doing. It is also home to the CTTB Music podcast and its archive too. Why not pay me a visit and sign up for future editions of the newsletter (free) 

Todd Rundgren @ The Forum 23/11/2008

I think this was Todd's first appearance at the Forum since he recorded a live album there back in 1994 on the No World Order tour. He was all alone for that one. Tonight, things could not have been more different as Todd brought the Arena tour to London. What can I say. It rocked. Playing the same set that he has been doing for the whole tour - opening with Love in Action, Open my Eyes, Black Maria, I Saw the Light etc, before playing Arena in its entirety - this was guitar rock heaven (and let's face it, probably the last time you'll see Todd doing this kind of tour in the UK). The band were tight, the backing vocals near perfection, and a few ropey moments aside, Todd's vocals strong and good. It was a real joy to see him playing so much lead guitar, after recent years of being more of the 'singer in the band'. There were a few technically issues near the start, when Todd couldn't get the clean guitar sound he wanted, and one amusing moment when he manag...

The Decemberists - 'The Hazards of Love'

Whilst the Decemberists have been around for a number of years, and a friend of mine is a big fan, I have to confess - a few tunes aside - they have never really made much of a splash with me. With their fifth album - 'The Hazards of Love' - a 17-track concept album that sort of tells a story about a fair maiden ravished by a shape-shifting demon (no, really) - however, I am suddenly find myself surprisingly won over. On some levels - like most concept albums - it is utter tosh, but with its repeating musical motifs and reprises, making you quickly think that actually there are only about five actual songs on the album - a clever trick. Like with all good concept albums this makes listening on shuffle not the ideal way to digest this album - especially as their are short 'interlude' pieces joining all the songs too. Added to all this the fact that the band seem to have a love for early 70's British folk/prog/heavy metal and this walks right up my street - and will ...