Strongerthan?

News from The Weakerthans that they've just signed to Epitaph Records!

The Weakerthans, from Winnipeg, are one of the best bands in Canada. I suppose they're generally cast as a punk band, but that's more for convenience than anything. They're eons beyond the Blink-182s and the Sum-41s and whatever other crap passes for punk these days. They're also very political, being part of the G7 Welcoming Committee label. John K. Sampson's poetic lyrics (see samples below) are some of the best I've come across in quite some time, although I find myself drawn more to his emotional landscapes. But like most great writers, there's not always a clear distinction between the emotional and the political.

Here's their communique:

From: "The Weakerthans Communications Bureau"
Date: Sat Feb 22, 2003 04:52:30 PM America/Montreal
Subject: Weakerthans and Epitaph Records - A New Alliance/The Future's So Bright!

The Weakerthans are extremely pleased to announce that their next full-length recording, tentatively titled Reconstruction Site, will be released in North America by Epitaph Records late summer 2003.

Epitaph was clearly our 1st choice to put out our next album, and we are overjoyed that this has been realized. We believe in the strength and virtue of underground and independent music, culture and industry. In our opinion, Epitaph embodies all those qualities. Joining them is the perfect decision for us; reaffirming our musical background and current artistic progression as well as our political philosophy. We are punk rockers with a leftist-political conscience - who like Epitaph - fell in love with all sorts of music somewhere along the way. We are so excited to be surrounded by great rock bands, as well as true heroes and legends of music, and to get the chance to work with the staff of Epitaph. It is the label we've always wanted to be on.

We would also like to express our gratitude to G-7 Welcoming Committee Records, who handle our first two records, for their labour and encouragement and for providing a living example of progressive politics in action. Similarly, Sub City Records (licensee, USA) works tirelessly on our behalf, and through their charity program, on behalf of others. We look forward to continuing the promotion of our work with these labels as we begin a new relationship with the fine people of Epitaph.


Check out their web page for lyrics and audio and video samples, including this video for "Watermark", lyrics below.

Watermark
I count to three and grin. You smile and let me in. We sit and watch the wall you painted purple. Speech will spill on space. Our little cups of grace. But pauses rattle on about the way that you cut the snow-fence, braved the blood, the metal of those hearts that you always end up pressing your tongue to. How your body still remembers things you told it to forget. How those furious affections followed you. I've got this store-bought way of saying I'm okay, and you learned how to cry in total silence. We're talented and bright. We're lonely and uptight. We've found some lovely ways to disappoint, but the airport's almost empty this time of the year, so let's go play on a baggage carousel. Set our watches forward like we're just arriving here from a past we left in a place we knew too well. (Hold on to the corners of today, and we'll fold it up to save until it's needed. Stand still. Let me scrub that brackish line that you got when something rose and then receded.