If there is one man whose songwriting truly embodies the spirit of humanity, it’s John K. Samson. He first made his name in the activist punk-rock band Propagandhi, then started his own band, The Weakerthans, one of my personal favorites. He’s made a career writing songs that take the mundane and melancholy and turn them into beautiful, truthful statements about society and humanity in general. We’ve been waiting with bated breath for five years (that seems like such a long time now…) for the next Weakerthans album, but Samson seems to have other plans.
“Provincial” is an album firmly rooted in Manitoba, Canada, where Samson lives. The album follows him and his observations about the countryside and residents therein. He tells us stories about hockey players, college students, run-down villages, and dysfunctional electronics. When seen in the wrong light, his quiet, unassuming tales may be seen as depressing and bleak. But, upon further listening, they’re about longing and the hollowness of modern life. His narratives live where people walk to their destinations, where the ice on the lake makes for the best social hangout, and the forested hills are peppered with deteriorating wooden shacks and old trucks.
The most important (and impressive) aspect of this collection of songs is the great detail with which they are written. Samson’s stories flesh out both lyrically and sonically, though the music never threatens to overtake the words. Tales about small town desolation (like the beautiful “Heart of the Continent”) are accompanied by quiet acoustic guitars, while “When I Write My Master’s Thesis”, a song where the character imagines their life turning around after they write their master’s thesis, is accompanied by upbeat, hopeful, strumming electric guitars and a snappy drum kit.
For those familiar with The Weakerthans, I’d like to point out one thing: this is a John K. Samson album to the core. There are very few punk tendencies here; the distorted guitars of The Weakerthans have been replaced by acoustic guitars, small string arrangements, and careful vocal harmonies. While the material on “Provincial” may be suited for some of the quieter moments of a Weakerthans album, Samson seems to be doing things a little differently on this record, almost following the famous Bon Iver method of isolation and introversion.
One of my favorite moments on the album is the all-too-short (length being the album’s largest flaw) “Stop Error”, which relates computer programming and errors to the lonely narrator himself. He is trapped in technology and digital entertainment; the world continues around him, while he sits in his room forgetting it. Perhaps it is a bit depressing, but the objective honesty with which Samson presents the subject points out the familiarity we all have with it. This narrator has fallen into a state of dejection, where the grief of past mistakes has overwhelmed him. I’m sure the story rings true, to some extent, in all of us. Samson’s songwriting allows us to observe the narrator and make comments on his life, and it seems to be something that we’re allowed to observe in vivid detail. When you look past the troubling nature of the subject matter, you can see the humanity and beauty within.
Samson’s work seems to be designed for overanalysis. Every song has such strong emotions attached to it that speak directly to you, and you want to break them apart and savor each lyric. Of this I am certain: “Provincial” is a beautiful piece of art and stunning lyricism. It observes humanity with all its imperfections. One can’t help but picture the small-town residents and locales this album was written about, each with their detailed histories. There’s so much more I could write about (and I’d love to ramble on), but I’d prefer that you just pick up a copy and experience it yourself.
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