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Album Details

• Artist: The Weakerthans
• Album: Reunion Tour
• Label: Anti / Epitaph
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2007-09-03

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The Weakerthans are another one of those bands that you just can't figure out why they aren't much bigger. Come on people! They are signed by Epitaph cool offshoot, Anti. Yup, that's right. And while we stood by wondering if the Winnipeg boys would release another album (it has been 4 years) they went and matured even more on us. Not to the point of reaching easy listening but I wouldn't hesitate playing Reunion Tour for my parents.

The band holed up in a recording studio above a factory in Winnipeg last March and came out with this wonderful collection of songs. Ian Blurton of Change of Heart and Blurtonia fame (right) took on the production duties and transformed these sessions into an amazing sonic palate.

Reunion Tour starts out large with the somewhat rocking "Civil Twilight", about as loud as The Weakerthans get. John K. Samson's lyrics are once again quite obscure using rare references to something that he may have read in the past. But that is the charm in the lyrics to the band. They are taken from some literature reference and then formed into a wonderful song. Then then words are wrapped around amazing melodies like on "Tournament of Hearts".

Some of the best tracks are more spoken word type tracks: "Elegy For Gump Worsley" allows John to post a tribute to the second-to-last hockey goaltender to play without a mask. He died in January of this year.

The Weakerthans songs are sometimes depressing in content but always a pleasure to hear. And even with the maturation process Reunion Tour is a great album and one that should hit a lot of college charts.

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