JOHN K. SAMSON plays solo at Soundscapes on Tuesday (January 24) and with the Provincial Band at the Great Hall on March 22. See listing. Rating: NNNN
John K. Samson’s first solo album is by no means a departure from his work as frontman for beloved Winnipeg rockers the Weakerthans, but he does stretch his creative wings. Still on offer are his immaculately crafted lyrics and preoccupation with place. In his small but affecting alto, Samson sings compact, melancholy odes to the Prairies’ fields of flax, Portage Avenue, a fenced-off lot of debris near “Memorial and me,” cruel snow and cracked lips. As a lyricist, he remains unmatched.
The loud, punk-informed guitars that fuel Weakerthans records, however, make way for arrangements with more breathing room, featuring bits of piano, vibes, strings, sax, double bass and ukulele. Buoyant rocker When I Write My Master’s Thesis is one of the funniest tunes Samson’s ever written, Heart Of The Continent is classic JKS/Weakerthans, while forceful Longitudinal Centre, sung in an almost angry monotone, is the most exciting.
Top track: Longitudinal Centre