Customer Reviews

Left & Leaving

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm in love with this record and this band. This is punk rock for grown-ups. It's not jaded, but slightly weary. It's intelligent, political and romantic without being obtuse, preachy or sappy. It's simply beautiful. I'm constantly being asked to describe their sound (because I tend to talk about them a lot!) and I don't know how. I can not compare them with anyone else and they defy the usual genre lumping. When I first heard them I thought of the first time I heard the first Fugazi record in 1989. Not because The Weakerthans sound anything like Fugazi, but because the music they play is so original and honest, and made with such intelligence and heart. John K. Sampson's lyrics are amazingly poetic and touching. I've been lucky enough to see them live 3 times in the past few months (traveling as far as possible to do so!) and they're even better live!

Ahh yes, the weakerthans. To call them "emo" would just be incorrect. To call them "folk" would be an extreme understatement. However, to take this CD at face value wouldn't be doing it any justice. I guess I expected something a little punkier (Being that they are on a punk label), but I am still having trouble finding the right words to decribe this cd. It starts out calm, and throughtful with "Everything must go." Ahh yes, there is that punky, heavier side I expected from former Propaghandi member Jahn Samson. The next two tracks are much faster, but with the same emotional lyrics. The rest of rthe album progresses with a few more folkier songs, and a few guitar heavy balads, until the thrid to last tracks which build up to a stunning climax whihc brought me to tears. Call it what you want: punk, folk, rock, but if there is one word we can all agree on for "Left and Leaving it is staggering.

If there is a type of food called comfort food, I think there should be a new genre of music called comfort music. With the Weakerthans' combination of comfortable, relaxed harmonies and witty, original, thought-provoking lyrics, I often catch myself smiling halfway through a song. The lyrics especially are my favorite thing about this band; the fact that they can be so unique that so many of us can relate to them without knowing why, and being somehow completely devoid of cliche... Although I didn't notice the worth of some of the lyrics at first, sometimes it can just click. Often, these songs can bring new meaning each time I listen, and this band has the unique ability of bringing a smile to my face even when I'm in the worst mood imaginable. If you have never heard this band, I would suggest some of my favorites: "Aside", "This Is a Fire Door Never Leave Open", or "My Favorite Chords". I also would suggest "Reconstruction Site", which is a little bit softer at times but just as poignant. I hope you enjoy what has been a remarkable music experience for me.

For the record I absolutely abhor Amazon.com reviews. I mean, who takes the time to write a product review? Inevitably it is either fanboys (and girls) who love everything Band X craps out or the haters who, well, hate. Everything. As a result you get either 5 or 1 star reviews to perfectly mirror the lover/hater dichotomy.

A true review takes time. How many albums have you heard that you didn't like at first and then slowly grew on you until, what do you know, it's your favorite album of all time.

I first heard of the Weakerthans from a random on-line voice who decided that Left & Leaving was one of their best albums of the year. It was long enough ago that I have no idea what year it was. Soon after I was at my local record store (RIP Music Millenium NW)and I picked it up. I consider it one of my best decisions of the last decade.

This album doesn't just contain wonderful chord changes and lyrics. It contains emotion. It will make you feel something. To me that is the best thing that can be said about any piece of art.

Buy it. Enjoy it.

There is something incredibly striking about this record -- it's one of those things that seems to appeal to everyone, but each person has their own interpretation, and each person brings their own personality to the release. It's a very introspective record, but the fact that a bunch of other people love it doesn't bother me at all. It somehow manages to be perfecly universal and perfectly personal simultaneously. I don't know how it happens, but it most certainly does. Maybe it's the fact that the lyrics are just abstract enough to engage the listener, but not disillusion or confuse them. Maybe it's because the music is relatively straightforward but with some key twists that keep it really interesting. Regardless, this is a fantastic record, and I can't imagine not having it as a part of my collection.

A two months or so ago, I picked up the Propagandhi cd, "Less Talk, More Rock" which is an awesome cd by itself. But I really the dug the songs "gifts" and "anchorless" where John Samson sung instead of the normal lead singer. Then I found out that John had left Propagandhi, and had made a band called the Weakerthans, so I pretty quickly went out and bought this one. It is truly a masterpiece of just plain music, blending pop and punk and folk and emo and everything into melodic, powerful, poetic music. The songs were slower than I expected, but they still all rock. I love the track "Everything Must Go!" and "Aside" is a very poetic, pop-punk song as opposed to the slow stuff on "Everything Must Go." The title track is probably my second favorite, and "Pampleteer" is very good also. My fav track is "Exiles Among You," which is faster and punkier than any other song on the cd, but still extremely melodic and amazing. You need this cd- it doesn't matter what kind of music you listen to. This is a stunning work of art right here, and I can't wait to get "Fallow" (when I get some cash).

A few years ago 'Left & Leaving' by the Weakerthans, their second album, was voted in the Top 10 of the best albums ever to come out of Canada. I cannot make that claim because I have not heard enough Canadian albums, and the latest records from Montreal (like the Stars and the incredible Arcade Fire) may not bump this one out of the list, but 'Left & Leaving' remains a great record.

That John Sampson has a brilliant mind for words was already known from his Propagandhi days and the Weakerthans' first record 'Fallow'. But here he has some something that will last.

He is a master in writing short-story-songs, lyrics that will give you the bare information about how he feels, what a person is doing and how that person is feeling. Like Bob Dylan and even more Randy Newman you know what is going on and the songs almost become visible, the videoclip will play in your mind. And like a good short story, the more you read (or in this case listen to) it, more becomes clear and the more you find out.

As in videos he plays with time. Speeding it up, slowing it down, or placing you somewhere 'between past and Present Tense'. Even in the music this comes back.

The music is hard to typify; punk? folk? folkpunk? Most of all it's the Weakerthans. It is sophisticated but rough enough to maintain some indie credibility, without becoming U@ or Dire Straits. The music is a perfect fit with the lyrics. If the tempo of the lyrics change, often the time of the song will change with it. When a person emotionally erupts, the guitars will get faster and louder (as on 'Exiles Among Us').

With their follow-up 'Reconstruction Site' they did it again, but this album is a tad better and will remain on my playing list for a long time.

This is a GORGEOUS album. I received it as a birthday present a couple years back, having never heard of the Weakerthans, and it is now one of my favorite albums of all time-right up there with Jeff Buckley's Grace and Idaho's Levitate, though dramatically different.

The Weakerthans are absolutely brilliant with simple, straightforward rock, sometimes a little punk-ish, sometimes with slow, beautiful ballads. What really gets me about this band is their lyrics: if you like good poetry, I'd recommend buying their albums if only to read the lyrics. But the music works beautifully with the words. This is definitely the best work these guys have come out with so far.

i stumbled upon the Weakerthans in the most unlikely of places. Picture this; 12am on a hot and sticky summer 2001 night, and a van of 7 sleepy teenagers driving back home after a day in toronto, ontario. my good friend who was driving popped in the CD and after hearing the first drum beat of 'Everything Must Go' i was hooked...from there on, that car ride home was something i'd never forget. the heart and soul coming out in John K. Samson's lyrics and voice just blew me away and pretty much every song on this album sends chills up my spine. thanks boys for giving me a great soundtrack for many memories to come ! keeping on rockin....

I'm not really sure if folk-punk is a musical genre, but if you want to categorize this amazing piece of music then it's a good place to start. It's rare to hear such poetic lyrics nowadays, but even rarer to hear them paired with great music. This album has a great mix of styles, from slow and thoughtful ballads to some toe-tappers with the amps cranked up to 11, which all evoked some interesting imagery for me; hope and despair, poverty and passion, wandering down Albert street in downtown Winnipeg. The songwriting and musicianship on this album are nothing short of excellent. This is truly remarkable stuff.