Memory Will Rust And Erode Into Lists

John K. Samson - Provincial
As anyone with even a cursory knowledge of The Weakerthans knows, a sort of late-Autumn melancholy is coded directly into John K. Samson's voice. Of course, the bittersweet, nostalgia-dripping lyrics and quiet melodies that he creates only cement that feeling. Samson's first solo record, Provincial, is no departure from this tone, but adds another chapter to the navel-gazing epic of Canadian life and times that his records add up to be.

Even though The Weakerthans are not exactly purveyors of burly rock sounds, the work on Provincial is still a little more withdrawn than Samson's work in his main band. The sounds get dirty when they need to, but even those moments are few. The guitars are a little quieter than a Weakerthans release, the drums a bit less insistent. The melodies, however, are still dominant, and they're easily as good as Samson's work on Reconstruction Site or Reunion Tour. Strings and piano join in with the standard guitars and drums to mellow out the proceedings. The songs are frequently painted in shades of blue and gray, but imbued with enough slivers of beauty and magic that you can tell that the sadness was worth it.

While the music is obviously important, what really stands out about Samson's body of work is his stellar lyricism. He spins tales in his songs that contain emotions and sentiments far larger in scope than you might think a few dozen lines ever could, not unlike a Tom Waits with a soft, clean voice. Rather than the third-person stories of winners and losers, Samson seems to be writing rather more personally here. The songs are filled with hockey and heartbreak and days spent without seeing the sun. The lyrics are beautiful and sad and funny, in a dead-of-winter sort of way.

None of the songs on Provincial would sound out of place on a Weakerthans release, which might make some question why they weren't simply released on one, but the fact that all of these songs exist instead on a solo record makes sense once you listen to them as a unified piece. They spell out a small life in a small city, and all the larger memories and feelings that can entail. Samson is a singular voice and an excellent writer, and Provincial is well worth a listen for anyone who remembers fifteen years ago like it was yesterday.

-Review by TZARATHUSTRA