Album Rating: 5.0

I did a bit of research on this band's general reception and peeped a few reviews of this from the time and it seems like a common criticism is that they're too clever or literary. I really can't get behind that opinion, maybe I'm just a dork but the lyrics here are amazing. Don't really get why these guys would have been particularly saddled with that criticism as lots of popular indie at the time had a similar literary bent.

Album Rating: 4.0

lyrics are straight up the best thing about this band wtf

I guess this album doesn't lend itself to the rushed nature of reviewing a new release - Samson's lyrics are purely poetical which means time to unravel. What a crazy criticism though.

lyrics are straight up the best thing about this band wtf [2]

Album Rating: 4.2

lyrics are straight up the best ever written wtf



wait this isn't the Left and Leaving thread, these lyrics are close tho

Album Rating: 4.0

^ Alligator would like a word

Album Rating: 5.0

I guess I should qualify that that wasn't necessarily a common perception but rather that if there was criticism then it seemed to be about the lyrics being overly clever/literate. But yeah it generally seems that this album/band have always been well-loved, I feel dumb for waiting this long to get on them.

Album Rating: 4.2

I fuckin love Berninger but he wishes he could write a Fire Door, no offense Matty

Album Rating: 4.0

i don't think either of them could really replicate the other's style



Lyrically All the Wine will prob always be my favorite song ever

its fine boney better late than never - that's how I felt about silver jews' natural bridge. I had AW on rotation a lot over 5 years but never checked that one

Album Rating: 4.2

this is true. Berninger at his peak will always be the best to capture that uniquely American blue-collar aimlessness that he was so good at capturing. I just prefer Samson's style because he captures the universals of loss and depression with this insane amount of warmth and empathy that never at any point feels forced, and his use of rhyme scheme and metre is incredibly underrated and almost unmatched in the lyrics I've heard

Album Rating: 3.5

Berninger's lyrics are way better to me. Samson is very clever and all that, but a lot of his lyrics dont evoke much of an emotional response from me.

yeah Samson is probably my lyrical goat

Album Rating: 5.0

I remember reading Pitchfork's review of this which was a good reminder of why that site can be awful. If I recall correctly they had this down as being a bit too clever for its own good and seemed to think that people listen to the Weakerthans for the instrumentals.



Leave it to me to get angry about a 17 year old review I guess. I suppose a few review sites were lukewarm because these guys were never really very 'cool' and didn't have the right kind of audience.



John is my lyrical goat too, album has too many jaw droppers to count on one hand.

Album Rating: 5.0

^ Yeah that P4k review was one of the worst offenders I read but I’ve seen the cleverness opinion elsewhere. But then maybe P4k was the first to say that and people piggybacked on it lol

Album Rating: 4.5

holy fuck boney fived a good album

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

There's not one lick of pretension in this band smh at those reviews.

Album Rating: 5.0

Holy fuck Pika 4.5ed a good album

Album Rating: 5.0

This is great. Can’t wait to spin it more.

Album Rating: 4.0

Forgot how good this is. Super solid optimistic depression jams.