Anticipation

One of the albums I've been most excited for this year comes out on Sept. 25: The Weakerthans' Reunion Tour. The Canadian band is consistently overlooked while overachieving, and from what I've heard so far, the new record will be just as solid as previous efforts. Instead of describing what's great about The Weakerthans, I'm just going to quote Andy Whitman from a post he wrote awhile back called "Albums That Get No Love."

"These guys aren't exactly unknowns, but they are nevertheless criminally underappreciated. The transformation that lead singer/songwriter John K. Samson has wrought from Punk Brat (best shown in his former band Propagandhi) to Thoughtful Poet is nothing less than spectacular. The band mixes it up quite eclectically, tossing in influences from folk, country, and loud, abrasive rock 'n roll. But the secret ingredient is Samson's songwriting. He's one of the few songwriters whose words can stand alone as poetry. He tackles all the big subjects -- love and the loss of love, God, death, loneliness and alienation, the hole in the soul -- and he does so with compassion, warmth, humor, and something that sounds uncannily like wisdom. And he rocks like crazy."

mp3: The Weakerthans - Night Windows