“Sun in an Empty Room“
from the album Reunion Tour
2007
iTunes
Some bands defy categorization, but the Weakerthans sometimes defy identification: The Canadian group plays such faceless indie-rock, it’s easy to forget who the hell it is on the stereo. In the case of Reunion Tour, though, that’s a good thing. With titular self-deprecation, the Weakerthans have crafted a fourth disc of under-the-radar, over-the-head anthems, all sewn up in John K. Samson’s charming, deadpan whine. Samson often gets tagged as an indie poet laureate — a mantle that’s easy to picture him wincing under — and it’s mostly deserved; his adenoidal voice adds an underdog nobility to his clever, vivid lyrics. Musically, Reunion has flashes of Wilco-esque brilliance, but it’s mostly a blank slate on which Samson is free to squiggle his wise, weary verse. Luckily, that’s pretty much enough.