We Canadians are a curious bunch. With a country whose land mass is larger than the U.S., and the vast expanse between settlements (i.e. cities) slowly narrowing, distinct regional cultures are beginning to emerge and assimilate into neighbouring areas. Whether you're a salty dog from the East Coast, a metro-hippie from T.O. (that's Toronto to you non-Ontarians), a crunchy granola-type from B.C. (that's British Columbia for you, er... you people who didn't know that), or a born-from-the-land earnest Prairie dweller, you probably have been exposed to the distinctiveness of the various cultural areas that have developed in this great nation of ours.
I'm particularly drawn to the unique group of musicians who've spun from the midlands--from Manitoba to Alberta--whose good natured rock and roll is tempered with vivid splashes of lyrical imagination, and a not-quite alt country twang that snaps with a briskness usually reserved for a January day in Winnipeg. The perfect example has long been John K. Samson and his band The Weakerthans. they've longed been heralded as one of Canada's indie music hidden treasures, and had their last LP, Reunion Tour, recognized as one of this year's shortlisted albums for the Polaris Music Prize. Samson's songs tell tales of bus drivers, stock brokers, miners, cats, and curling, all with sincerity and an observational style that you usually get from a cinematic indie film director. There is a certain celluloid quality to the music, because it feels like a perfect soundtrack to a wonderful film about every day life that's going to be filmed someday if the director and writer can just get enough money together to rent some equipment, and the snow holds off for a couple days to shoot the exterior scenes.
I believe they've been touring the U.S. over the last little while, and have now wrapped up life on the road in support of the album. Hopefully they find themselves in the comfort of a warm studio over the course of the cold winter, and emerge with a fresh basket of new musical goodies in the spring. For now, the band have a track from Reunion Tour available from Myspace as part of the lead-up to Polaris Night, September 29th, 2008:
"Night Windows"
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws
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