August 19, 2025 • 26 mins
Left and Leaving is the second album by Canadian indie rock band The Weakerthans, and it’s often regarded as their defining statement. Released in 2000, the record blends literate, introspective lyrics with punk roots and folk-tinged melodies. Frontman John K. Samson, formerly of Propagandhi, brings a poet’s eye for detail and a novelist’s sense of character, crafting songs about lost love, aging ideals, hometown melancholy, and quiet resilience.
Set against the backdrop of Winnipeg — a recurring character in their work — the album captures emotional nuance with rare honesty. Tracks like “Aside,” “Watermark,” and the heartbreaking title track “Left and Leaving” feel both deeply personal and universally relatable. The band’s sound is understated but rich, weaving melodic guitar lines with steady, unflashy rhythms that give the lyrics room to breathe.
More than just an indie rock album, Left and Leaving is a gentle, profound meditation on the spaces we inhabit, the people we miss, and the versions of ourselves we try to hold onto — or let go of.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_04 (00:00):
It's just the normal noises in here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:14):
This is Polyphonic Press, the podcast where two
music fans pick a classic albumcompletely at random.
Using the patented random albumgenerator, they are given an
album to review from a curatedlist of over 1,000 classic
releases, spanning multiplegenres.
And now onto the show.
(00:34):
Here are your hosts, Jeremy Boydand John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_03 (00:47):
Alright, hey, welcome to Polyphonic Press.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
And uh let's not waste any time.
We've got the patented randomalbum generator right in front
of us here.
Uh so let's hit the button andsee what album we're gonna be
listening to this week.
And the album we're gonna belistening to is The Weaker
Thans.
Left and Leaving.
SPEAKER_04 (01:09):
Hmm.
I think I've heard of it, but Idon't know anything about it.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
I think this is from the Canadian list.
Yeah, it could be.
So uh so here's a description ofthe album.
It says Left and Leaving is thesecond album by Canadian indie
rock band The Weaker Thans, andis often regarded as their
defining statement.
Released in 2000, the recordblends uh literate,
introspective lyrics with punkroots and folk-tinged melodies.
(01:37):
Frontman John K.
Sampson, formerly of Propagandi,brings a poet's eye for detail
and a novelist's sense ofcharacter, crafting songs about
lost love, aging ideals,hometown melancholy, and quiet
resilience.
Set against the backdrop ofWinnipeg, a recurring character
in their work, the uh the albumcaptures emotional nuance with
(02:01):
rare honesty.
Tracks like Aside, Watermark,and the heartbreaking title
track Left and Leaving feel bothdeeply and personal feel both
deeply and personal anduniversally relatable.
The the uh the band's sound isunderstated but rich, weaving
melodic guitar lines withsteady, unflashy rhythms that
(02:22):
give the lyrics room to breathe.
More than just an indie rockalbum, Left and Leaving is a
gentle, profound meditation onthe spaces we inhabit, uh, the
people we miss, and the versionsof ourselves we try to hold on
to or let go of.
Uh okay, so this album wasreleased on July 25th, 2000.
(02:42):
Uh the genre is indie rock, andthe label is G Cell G7 Welcoming
Committee, and uh produced byIan Blurten.
And um this was uh right in theCD era, so there really doesn't
give a side one and side two,but uh there are 12 songs on the
(03:04):
album.
So what we'll do is we'll listeninto the first six and then take
a break and listen halfway anddiscuss halfway through.
And if you are listening along,which we do encourage you to do,
uh we've linked the album toboth Spotify and Apple Music in
uh the description so you can uhget your uh get the listen to
this album on your preferredstreaming service.
(03:26):
Um and but so the album beginswith everything must go, and uh
the first half ends with withoutmythologies.
Um and uh just one remind you tocheck out our Patreon.
You can go to patreon.com slashpolyphonic press and you can get
lots of cool stuff there.
Uh like um you can get these uhepisodes the day before they go
(03:50):
live, and uh you can pick analbum for reserve view and uh
you can uh get a shout outduring these episodes.
So lots of cool stuff uh overthere, so definitely check that
if check that out if you'reinterested.
Um but without further ado, hereis the first song on the album,
(04:10):
uh Everything Must Go.
Alright, and uh ending the firsthalf of the album with Without
Mythologies.
(04:31):
Uh yeah, I I really like this uhso far.
It's different, it's veryeclectic in terms of its style.
But I kinda like that it's gotsort of a rootsy feel, but also
some of the songs have likereally loud guitars.
It's uh a pretty big contrast,but it's it's um it's done
(04:57):
really well, I think.
SPEAKER_04 (04:59):
Yeah, um I think I'm enjoying it too.
I don't know if it's gonna benecessarily one of my favorite
albums, but I think it's Iappreciate what's going on in in
into it, uh uh for sure.
Um I think I like his lyrics.
His lyrics have got a lot of uhthought into them.
(05:20):
They're not uh uh you know, yourstandard, you know, rock and
roll fair really.
Um they're they're veryintrospective.
They're poetic.
SPEAKER_03 (05:34):
Yeah, it it's kind of reminding me of um like
Wilco.
Um or that or like that sort ofum like the music and the lyrics
as well.
Um yeah, they're the the lyricsare very uh very interesting,
and yeah, you're they'reunusual, and his phrasing is
(05:57):
very unusual.
Um it's I rem I remember hearingthis, not I don't remember this
album specifically, or uh to behonest, any song, but I remember
hearing this band, and I hisvoice is very familiar.
Um in maybe about around 2008,2009, around there maybe.
(06:20):
Yeah, I j I just rememberhearing this somewhere.
I don't know where I heard it,but uh and I remember thinking
then that you know his the thelyrics and and the his melodies
and his voice were very verydifferent than anything I'd ever
heard.
Um I like that the um I I like Ilike uh the music is as well is
(06:48):
very interesting and because ithe lyrics are uh like the some
of the like the song aside is avery sort of standard rock song
musically.
Right.
Um but then you know it's it'suh it's sort of taken in a a
(07:11):
totally different direction.
Um and and it's it's just it'sreally uh I wasn't from the
first song, I wasn't expectingto hear big guitars.
I was sort of thinking, okay,this is cool, this is gonna be
like a mellow sort of album, andthen the the second song, it's
like, oh okay, okay, this isinteresting.
(07:32):
It's kind of reminding me of uhI said Wilco, but also the
replacements.
Um Okay.
And uh Yeah, it is reallyfascinating.
There isn't really anythingquite like it.
It's hard to compare becausethere there isn't really
anything else quite like orquite to compare it to.
SPEAKER_04 (07:55):
Yeah, but uh I think uh your comparison to Wilco is
pretty apt, actually, so um butI oh I guess Wilco started up in
the nineties, didn't they?
SPEAKER_03 (08:09):
Yeah, and st and these guys did too.
They were sort of around thesame time, like ninety-six,
ninety-seven around there.
SPEAKER_04 (08:16):
Yeah.
Interesting.
Um Yeah, I've always appreciateduh, you know, artists that can
uh you know can convey lyricslike that.
SPEAKER_03 (08:26):
It's it's a rare talent.
I mean there writing a writingpoetry is one thing, and then
writing lyrics is somethingtotally different.
People think it's the samething, but it's really not.
And uh to be able to writepoetry to music is uh like I can
think of maybe a handful ofpeople who can do it well.
(08:51):
Maybe Nick Cave, Gord Downey.
Well, you think of I think ofpeople like Neil Young.
Neil Young for sure, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (08:59):
But Neil Young's uh lyrics are they're they can be
poetic, but they but they're alittle more straightforward
usually.
SPEAKER_03 (09:06):
Yeah, he is his m yeah, that's what I was that's
why I didn't think of him,because it's more his I love his
lyrics, but they they aredeliberately song lyrics.
Um they're they're a differenttotally different beast than
than than poetry.
SPEAKER_04 (09:22):
But even Tom Pet Tom Petty at times could be quite
poetic.
He didn't do it all the time,but sometimes he he would his
his uh lyrics were a little moreinterpretive.
SPEAKER_03 (09:35):
That is true.
Yeah.
And um yeah, it's it's not uhyou know, it's not like you
know, we're gonna go out and getdrunk and you know, meet some
girls and that that is fun.
I'm not putting that down, butth that's you know it's it's
totally a different thing.
(09:57):
Yeah.
The the sequencing of the albumis uh odd because you don't like
knowing what the other songs onthe album are, you generally
don't lead with a song thatdoesn't represent the rest of
(10:18):
the album.
I'm not saying it's bad, butit's it's just an unusual choice
to to start the album off with aa song that and and and I like
that I was surprised by it.
It's like because I was it sortof subverted my expectations and
it kept me interested.
And I and I didn't know wherethe album was gonna go.
(10:42):
You know, I like that theydidn't go with the safe choice.
And I like that they took achance, you know.
SPEAKER_04 (10:48):
Yeah, this is uh I would consider this almost art
rock in some ways.
Almost.
SPEAKER_03 (10:55):
Yeah, to be honest, I mean, uh yeah, I really would
as well.
SPEAKER_04 (11:00):
I mean it's it's um musically it's a little more
conventional than art rock, butlyrically it's it's up there.
SPEAKER_03 (11:08):
Yeah, I y yeah, the the now that you Yeah, you're
right, it is.
And um Yeah, I I don't I reallydon't know what to say about it
because it's it's sort of umit's it's hard to sort of uh
come up with something to totalk about on the first listen
because it is so different.
(11:29):
Um it's funny that it it was puton um one of the greatest albums
of all time, greatest Canadianalbums of all time, because uh
it kind of it got mixed reviewswhen it came out.
Um people uh like praised thealbum and um like Pitchfork gave
(11:53):
it a 6.1 out of ten.
Uh it's okay.
That's okay, but it's it's sortof like an average score.
It's not terrible, but it's notlike so I think it's one of
those things that has um thathas grown on people.
Uh and I think it's one of thosethings that is sort of become
(12:14):
become um maybe not uh uhfavorable or or maybe an
overlooked album from its time,but it's sort of become in
retrospect uh a uh an album thatsort of people have gone back
and and thought, okay, yeah, I cyou know, looking back, this is
(12:35):
a worthy album to to listen to.
Um and that seems to happenquite a bit.
SPEAKER_04 (12:42):
It could be, but I think even off the bat, some
people just got it and otherpeople again, and I think it's
it's the lyrics.
Because they're not sostraightforward, a lot of people
don't get 'em.
SPEAKER_03 (12:53):
Yeah.
Yeah, that is true.
And yeah, and that can put a alot of people off, I think.
SPEAKER_04 (13:01):
It can.
I I I don't know why entirely.
I mean I guess I kinda know why.
I don't know.
I I don't like to speculate, butuh yeah, some people just uh you
know some people just I guess Iguess they just don't get it.
But that's fine.
Um maybe they will after a fewlistens, some of them won't.
(13:22):
But uh Yeah, it it's probablypart of it.
I I th I think if you uh put outan album that's like, you know,
introspective and you know, alittle more it it's it's not
necessarily, you know, your meatand potatoes rock and roll, it's
your I don't know how to say itbest.
(13:43):
Um things that that come off alittle bit more artistic
sometimes are you know, somepeople don't know what to make
of it.
SPEAKER_03 (13:52):
Yeah.
I I think well, I think a lot ofit too well I um I I don't Yeah,
I'm struggling I'm struggling toYeah, i it's i um I I I wonder
some like sometimes when anartist puts out m something this
(14:14):
introspective it's a lot of thetime is l a little later in
their career and maybe peoplejust weren't expecting it from a
young band.
SPEAKER_04 (14:29):
Yeah, some people are just uh and I mean artists.
Some artists are just, you knowold souls and these and and
these words just kind of pourout of them.
And other ones really have towork on it over a career to get
to that point.
SPEAKER_03 (14:46):
Um Yeah, and and some people are just sort sort
of uh kind of cringe at theterm, but wise beyond their
years.
And they maybe people aren'treally expecting that from a uh
from a younger person, youngerartist, and they sort of scoff
at it.
It's like what you know, what doyou know, kid?
(15:08):
you know, kind of thing.
SPEAKER_04 (15:09):
Yeah, exactly.
And I find these peoplegenerally they become that way
because they're misunderstood intheir youth anyway.
Even from among their peers.
Um I mean, I can't speak onbehalf of uh, you know, the
lyricists of this particularalbum, but in a general sense
that seems to be the case.
SPEAKER_03 (15:31):
Yeah, and and it uh I think a a lot of it comes from
like yes, people from theirpeers, but also older people
thinking, well, you don't havethe life experience to be
talking about the things you'retalking about, you know.
Yeah.
But some people just know.
SPEAKER_04 (15:49):
Yeah, it's true.
Some people just kinda have thisinnate uh response to things.
Uh you know.
It's just uh a fact of life.
I mean, yeah, generally mostpeople they they learn
throughout their life, but somepeople just, you know I can't
explain why, but some peoplejust do know things.
SPEAKER_03 (16:11):
But uh I did manage to find a few uh pretty
interesting facts about thealbum, and uh some of it can
gives a little bit of insight tohis lyrics, but uh the first one
is it's one of the most belovedCanadian albums of all time.
Uh Left and Leaving consistentlyappears on best of Canadian
(16:32):
music lists.
Uh in 2007, CBC Radio 3listeners voted it the number
one Canadian album of all time,ahead ahead of artists like Neil
Young and Leonard Cohen.
It's considered a cult classicfor fans of thoughtful indie
rock.
Um there's a there there's anintrospective writer, Leonard
Cohen.
(16:52):
Yeah.
Yeah, really.
SPEAKER_04 (16:55):
Yeah.
But uh no, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_03 (16:59):
Um and uh John K.
Sampson, the lyri he's the umthe lyricist and the and the
lead singer.
Um his lyrics are deeply uhliterary, and he's actually a
published poet.
Um before and after his time inthe Weirdlands, uh Samson uh
published poetry and essays.
(17:20):
Uh his writing style blendsstorytelling and social
observation, and some lyrics, uhlike those in This Is a Door
Never To uh This Is a Fire DoorNever Leave Open, even read like
po prose poems.
Uh his literary background helpsexplain the album's emotional
depth and vivid imagery.
SPEAKER_04 (17:40):
Um Yeah, I like that song too.
SPEAKER_03 (17:43):
Yeah.
Uh Winnipeg is practically acharacter in the album.
The city of Winnipeg, cold,isolated, and full of quiet
dignity, is a recurring theme inthe band's work.
Uh the title track, Left andLeaving, paints a portrait of
urban loneliness and seasonaldepression that's specific to
Winnipeg but resonates farbeyond it.
(18:06):
And um then the next uh fact isalso tied to the album.
Uh it was recorded at PrivateEar Studios in Winnipeg.
The album was recorded in theirhometown, which adds to its
ground grounded, intimate feel.
There's a sense that the banddidn't just write about the
city, they made the album in it,surrounded by the very streets
(18:28):
and stories that inspired thesongs.
Um yeah, I mean that that is agood point, and it kind of gives
the album a little more context,and if you know I've I've never
been to Winnipeg, but I havedefinitely experienced the
seasonal depression and knowingthat um like that absolutely
(18:54):
makes sense uh yeah with thisalbum.
Yeah.
Uh if you are Canadian or evenlive north of um the like the
middle of the United States, youknow about what that feels like.
Um and Winnipeg is if you livein Siberia, I'm sure you get it.
Yeah, exactly.
Right.
(19:17):
Um so yeah, I can I candefinitely hear that on the
album.
Um uh that sort of thatintrospective time of winter.
And uh the the album blends uhpunk ethics with indie folk
sensibilities.
Uh though Left and Leavingsounds mellow and melodic, its
(19:37):
roots are in punk.
Uh John K.
Sampson left the political punkpunk band Propagandi to form the
weaker thans, hoping to exploremore personal and nuanced
themes.
The result is music that keeps apunk ethos, uh DIY, honesty, and
skepticism, but trays distortionfor acoustic guitars and poetry.
(19:59):
Sometimes.
Sometimes.
There are some loud guitars onhere.
Yeah.
Um, so yeah, so those are someuh interesting facts about the
album.
But uh, I guess we will get backinto the second half.
Uh, but before we do that, uhlet's hear from our friends over
at the Astroverts podcast.
(20:20):
So uh check that out.
SPEAKER_02 (20:22):
What's up, folks?
It's Jake here from theAstrovert Podcast.
Come join us as we playunderplayed and undershare bands
from across the United Statesand the world.
We've found local bands from theMidwest, Florida, the UK, New
Zealand, and far, far beyond.
Some of our recent favoritediscoveries include Sprawl,
Glitch Kingdom, City of Auburn,Flake, Michigan, and so many
(20:44):
more.
We feature Rock News by RockSparks again, Rock, as well as
discuss our band's journeytowards finishing our
forthcoming EP.
Our first two singles, Last Calland Tides of Elephants, both out
now.
You can find the podcast onSpotify, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
Thank you.
Here's side two.
SPEAKER_03 (21:22):
Alright, and uh ending the album with slips and
tangles.
Uh yeah, I I'm really likingthis.
Um one of the things I noticedit most on that last song is uh
the way it's recorded, you canhear the room.
Yeah.
Um and uh I really like that.
(21:44):
It feels like you're s you're init.
Like you're just you're watchingthem or it it feels it's an
immersive experience.
Um and uh I think in a lot of uma lot of music they try to mix
it in a way that to it doesn'tsound like the room that it's
(22:05):
in, but I like that you can itfeels you can you can feel the
space that they're recording itin.
Um and I noticed it that on onother tracks, but it was most
prominent on that last one.
Um and uh yeah, I I thinkoverall I'm I'm really liking
this album.
SPEAKER_04 (22:24):
Yeah, I I I'm enjoying it too.
Uh it's uh like I said, I don'tknow if it's gonna be one of my
favorite albums that we'vecovered on here, but it's nice
to sort of change the pace anduh get something that's uh you
know well that you know, travelsat a sort of a different pace.
It's uh yeah, it's uh it's it'sa pretty good one.
SPEAKER_03 (22:48):
Yeah.
Um yeah, I don't really havemuch else to say about it.
Uh I it's I think it's one ofthose things that it's like I
said, it's kinda hard to graspeverything on on a first listen.
Um But um and I think it's oneof those things that you sort of
have to maybe listen to a fewtimes to to sort of appreciate
(23:11):
it.
Um and I I think maybe that'sjust because I didn't I I I
didn't know what I wasexpecting, and maybe I just sort
of um I I just I I think maybe Ijust want to hear it again to be
honest.
Um but uh yeah, I I did enjoyit.
I and I did uh like his lyricsare really good um and unique
(23:37):
and uh Yeah, some the the thethe musicianship is really good.
I mean they're a really goodband playing together.
Um Yeah, I just uh I reallyenjoyed it.
Um so that being said, whatwould be your three uh
highlights on the album?
SPEAKER_04 (23:58):
Hmm.
Yeah, I was sort of picking themas we were listening, and I'm I
think I'm gonna go for this is afire door, never leave open, uh
Left and Leaving, that was areal highlight for me, and I
think I liked History to theDefeated.
SPEAKER_03 (24:14):
Yeah.
Those I think those are m thethe two of those are my uh f uh
my highlights.
The This is a Fire Door, NeverLeave Open, and Left and
Leaving, and and the last song,uh Slips and Tangles.
I really like that one.
Um Yeah, those would be my myhighlights.
(24:36):
Um so I guess that brings us tothe to the question is would you
listen to this album again?
Yeah, I'd probably listen tothis again.
Yeah, I would too.
Um oh I think it's prettyobvious.
I think I'm I'm going to.
Um just I'm just I I think Ineed to I need to hear it again
to sort of really uh fullyappreciate it.
(25:00):
But uh upon the first listening,I I I'm I I really did enjoy it.
Um so yeah, so I guess we'll uhend the uh episode there.
Uh, thank you so much forlistening if you made it this
far.
Uh we would love to hear fromyou.
Uh you can go to our uh thewebsite, polyphonicpress.com,
and you can get all the pastepisodes that we've uh done so
(25:21):
far, as well as uh go to thecontact page, and we'd love to
hear from you and uh maybe readyour uh your message on air.
That would be pretty cool.
And uh you can uh check out thePatreon, go to patreon.com slash
polyphonic press.
And if this is your first timeuh listening, uh be sure to give
(25:42):
us a follow and uh give us arating and review because it
helps uh new listeners find us.
And uh I think that just aboutdoes it.
Uh, I'm Jeremy Boyd.
SPEAKER_04 (25:52):
And I'm John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_03 (25:54):
Take it easy.
It's just the normal noises in here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:14):
This is Polyphonic Press, the podcast where two
music fans pick a classic albumcompletely at random.
Using the patented random albumgenerator, they are given an
album to review from a curatedlist of over 1,000 classic
releases, spanning multiplegenres.
And now onto the show.
(00:34):
Here are your hosts, Jeremy Boydand John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_03 (00:47):
Alright, hey, welcome to Polyphonic Press.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
And uh let's not waste any time.
We've got the patented randomalbum generator right in front
of us here.
Uh so let's hit the button andsee what album we're gonna be
listening to this week.
And the album we're gonna belistening to is The Weaker
Thans.
Left and Leaving.
SPEAKER_04 (01:09):
Hmm.
I think I've heard of it, but Idon't know anything about it.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
I think this is from the Canadian list.
Yeah, it could be.
So uh so here's a description ofthe album.
It says Left and Leaving is thesecond album by Canadian indie
rock band The Weaker Thans, andis often regarded as their
defining statement.
Released in 2000, the recordblends uh literate,
introspective lyrics with punkroots and folk-tinged melodies.
(01:37):
Frontman John K.
Sampson, formerly of Propagandi,brings a poet's eye for detail
and a novelist's sense ofcharacter, crafting songs about
lost love, aging ideals,hometown melancholy, and quiet
resilience.
Set against the backdrop ofWinnipeg, a recurring character
in their work, the uh the albumcaptures emotional nuance with
(02:01):
rare honesty.
Tracks like Aside, Watermark,and the heartbreaking title
track Left and Leaving feel bothdeeply and personal feel both
deeply and personal anduniversally relatable.
The the uh the band's sound isunderstated but rich, weaving
melodic guitar lines withsteady, unflashy rhythms that
(02:22):
give the lyrics room to breathe.
More than just an indie rockalbum, Left and Leaving is a
gentle, profound meditation onthe spaces we inhabit, uh, the
people we miss, and the versionsof ourselves we try to hold on
to or let go of.
Uh okay, so this album wasreleased on July 25th, 2000.
(02:42):
Uh the genre is indie rock, andthe label is G Cell G7 Welcoming
Committee, and uh produced byIan Blurten.
And um this was uh right in theCD era, so there really doesn't
give a side one and side two,but uh there are 12 songs on the
(03:04):
album.
So what we'll do is we'll listeninto the first six and then take
a break and listen halfway anddiscuss halfway through.
And if you are listening along,which we do encourage you to do,
uh we've linked the album toboth Spotify and Apple Music in
uh the description so you can uhget your uh get the listen to
this album on your preferredstreaming service.
(03:26):
Um and but so the album beginswith everything must go, and uh
the first half ends with withoutmythologies.
Um and uh just one remind you tocheck out our Patreon.
You can go to patreon.com slashpolyphonic press and you can get
lots of cool stuff there.
Uh like um you can get these uhepisodes the day before they go
(03:50):
live, and uh you can pick analbum for reserve view and uh
you can uh get a shout outduring these episodes.
So lots of cool stuff uh overthere, so definitely check that
if check that out if you'reinterested.
Um but without further ado, hereis the first song on the album,
(04:10):
uh Everything Must Go.
Alright, and uh ending the firsthalf of the album with Without
Mythologies.
(04:31):
Uh yeah, I I really like this uhso far.
It's different, it's veryeclectic in terms of its style.
But I kinda like that it's gotsort of a rootsy feel, but also
some of the songs have likereally loud guitars.
It's uh a pretty big contrast,but it's it's um it's done
(04:57):
really well, I think.
SPEAKER_04 (04:59):
Yeah, um I think I'm enjoying it too.
I don't know if it's gonna benecessarily one of my favorite
albums, but I think it's Iappreciate what's going on in in
into it, uh uh for sure.
Um I think I like his lyrics.
His lyrics have got a lot of uhthought into them.
(05:20):
They're not uh uh you know, yourstandard, you know, rock and
roll fair really.
Um they're they're veryintrospective.
They're poetic.
SPEAKER_03 (05:34):
Yeah, it it's kind of reminding me of um like
Wilco.
Um or that or like that sort ofum like the music and the lyrics
as well.
Um yeah, they're the the lyricsare very uh very interesting,
and yeah, you're they'reunusual, and his phrasing is
(05:57):
very unusual.
Um it's I rem I remember hearingthis, not I don't remember this
album specifically, or uh to behonest, any song, but I remember
hearing this band, and I hisvoice is very familiar.
Um in maybe about around 2008,2009, around there maybe.
(06:20):
Yeah, I j I just rememberhearing this somewhere.
I don't know where I heard it,but uh and I remember thinking
then that you know his the thelyrics and and the his melodies
and his voice were very verydifferent than anything I'd ever
heard.
Um I like that the um I I like Ilike uh the music is as well is
(06:48):
very interesting and because ithe lyrics are uh like the some
of the like the song aside is avery sort of standard rock song
musically.
Right.
Um but then you know it's it'suh it's sort of taken in a a
(07:11):
totally different direction.
Um and and it's it's just it'sreally uh I wasn't from the
first song, I wasn't expectingto hear big guitars.
I was sort of thinking, okay,this is cool, this is gonna be
like a mellow sort of album, andthen the the second song, it's
like, oh okay, okay, this isinteresting.
(07:32):
It's kind of reminding me of uhI said Wilco, but also the
replacements.
Um Okay.
And uh Yeah, it is reallyfascinating.
There isn't really anythingquite like it.
It's hard to compare becausethere there isn't really
anything else quite like orquite to compare it to.
SPEAKER_04 (07:55):
Yeah, but uh I think uh your comparison to Wilco is
pretty apt, actually, so um butI oh I guess Wilco started up in
the nineties, didn't they?
SPEAKER_03 (08:09):
Yeah, and st and these guys did too.
They were sort of around thesame time, like ninety-six,
ninety-seven around there.
SPEAKER_04 (08:16):
Yeah.
Interesting.
Um Yeah, I've always appreciateduh, you know, artists that can
uh you know can convey lyricslike that.
SPEAKER_03 (08:26):
It's it's a rare talent.
I mean there writing a writingpoetry is one thing, and then
writing lyrics is somethingtotally different.
People think it's the samething, but it's really not.
And uh to be able to writepoetry to music is uh like I can
think of maybe a handful ofpeople who can do it well.
(08:51):
Maybe Nick Cave, Gord Downey.
Well, you think of I think ofpeople like Neil Young.
Neil Young for sure, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (08:59):
But Neil Young's uh lyrics are they're they can be
poetic, but they but they're alittle more straightforward
usually.
SPEAKER_03 (09:06):
Yeah, he is his m yeah, that's what I was that's
why I didn't think of him,because it's more his I love his
lyrics, but they they aredeliberately song lyrics.
Um they're they're a differenttotally different beast than
than than poetry.
SPEAKER_04 (09:22):
But even Tom Pet Tom Petty at times could be quite
poetic.
He didn't do it all the time,but sometimes he he would his
his uh lyrics were a little moreinterpretive.
SPEAKER_03 (09:35):
That is true.
Yeah.
And um yeah, it's it's not uhyou know, it's not like you
know, we're gonna go out and getdrunk and you know, meet some
girls and that that is fun.
I'm not putting that down, butth that's you know it's it's
totally a different thing.
(09:57):
Yeah.
The the sequencing of the albumis uh odd because you don't like
knowing what the other songs onthe album are, you generally
don't lead with a song thatdoesn't represent the rest of
(10:18):
the album.
I'm not saying it's bad, butit's it's just an unusual choice
to to start the album off with aa song that and and and I like
that I was surprised by it.
It's like because I was it sortof subverted my expectations and
it kept me interested.
And I and I didn't know wherethe album was gonna go.
(10:42):
You know, I like that theydidn't go with the safe choice.
And I like that they took achance, you know.
SPEAKER_04 (10:48):
Yeah, this is uh I would consider this almost art
rock in some ways.
Almost.
SPEAKER_03 (10:55):
Yeah, to be honest, I mean, uh yeah, I really would
as well.
SPEAKER_04 (11:00):
I mean it's it's um musically it's a little more
conventional than art rock, butlyrically it's it's up there.
SPEAKER_03 (11:08):
Yeah, I y yeah, the the now that you Yeah, you're
right, it is.
And um Yeah, I I don't I reallydon't know what to say about it
because it's it's sort of umit's it's hard to sort of uh
come up with something to totalk about on the first listen
because it is so different.
(11:29):
Um it's funny that it it was puton um one of the greatest albums
of all time, greatest Canadianalbums of all time, because uh
it kind of it got mixed reviewswhen it came out.
Um people uh like praised thealbum and um like Pitchfork gave
(11:53):
it a 6.1 out of ten.
Uh it's okay.
That's okay, but it's it's sortof like an average score.
It's not terrible, but it's notlike so I think it's one of
those things that has um thathas grown on people.
Uh and I think it's one of thosethings that is sort of become
(12:14):
become um maybe not uh uhfavorable or or maybe an
overlooked album from its time,but it's sort of become in
retrospect uh a uh an album thatsort of people have gone back
and and thought, okay, yeah, I cyou know, looking back, this is
(12:35):
a worthy album to to listen to.
Um and that seems to happenquite a bit.
SPEAKER_04 (12:42):
It could be, but I think even off the bat, some
people just got it and otherpeople again, and I think it's
it's the lyrics.
Because they're not sostraightforward, a lot of people
don't get 'em.
SPEAKER_03 (12:53):
Yeah.
Yeah, that is true.
And yeah, and that can put a alot of people off, I think.
SPEAKER_04 (13:01):
It can.
I I I don't know why entirely.
I mean I guess I kinda know why.
I don't know.
I I don't like to speculate, butuh yeah, some people just uh you
know some people just I guess Iguess they just don't get it.
But that's fine.
Um maybe they will after a fewlistens, some of them won't.
(13:22):
But uh Yeah, it it's probablypart of it.
I I th I think if you uh put outan album that's like, you know,
introspective and you know, alittle more it it's it's not
necessarily, you know, your meatand potatoes rock and roll, it's
your I don't know how to say itbest.
(13:43):
Um things that that come off alittle bit more artistic
sometimes are you know, somepeople don't know what to make
of it.
SPEAKER_03 (13:52):
Yeah.
I I think well, I think a lot ofit too well I um I I don't Yeah,
I'm struggling I'm struggling toYeah, i it's i um I I I wonder
some like sometimes when anartist puts out m something this
(14:14):
introspective it's a lot of thetime is l a little later in
their career and maybe peoplejust weren't expecting it from a
young band.
SPEAKER_04 (14:29):
Yeah, some people are just uh and I mean artists.
Some artists are just, you knowold souls and these and and
these words just kind of pourout of them.
And other ones really have towork on it over a career to get
to that point.
SPEAKER_03 (14:46):
Um Yeah, and and some people are just sort sort
of uh kind of cringe at theterm, but wise beyond their
years.
And they maybe people aren'treally expecting that from a uh
from a younger person, youngerartist, and they sort of scoff
at it.
It's like what you know, what doyou know, kid?
(15:08):
you know, kind of thing.
SPEAKER_04 (15:09):
Yeah, exactly.
And I find these peoplegenerally they become that way
because they're misunderstood intheir youth anyway.
Even from among their peers.
Um I mean, I can't speak onbehalf of uh, you know, the
lyricists of this particularalbum, but in a general sense
that seems to be the case.
SPEAKER_03 (15:31):
Yeah, and and it uh I think a a lot of it comes from
like yes, people from theirpeers, but also older people
thinking, well, you don't havethe life experience to be
talking about the things you'retalking about, you know.
Yeah.
But some people just know.
SPEAKER_04 (15:49):
Yeah, it's true.
Some people just kinda have thisinnate uh response to things.
Uh you know.
It's just uh a fact of life.
I mean, yeah, generally mostpeople they they learn
throughout their life, but somepeople just, you know I can't
explain why, but some peoplejust do know things.
SPEAKER_03 (16:11):
But uh I did manage to find a few uh pretty
interesting facts about thealbum, and uh some of it can
gives a little bit of insight tohis lyrics, but uh the first one
is it's one of the most belovedCanadian albums of all time.
Uh Left and Leaving consistentlyappears on best of Canadian
(16:32):
music lists.
Uh in 2007, CBC Radio 3listeners voted it the number
one Canadian album of all time,ahead ahead of artists like Neil
Young and Leonard Cohen.
It's considered a cult classicfor fans of thoughtful indie
rock.
Um there's a there there's anintrospective writer, Leonard
Cohen.
(16:52):
Yeah.
Yeah, really.
SPEAKER_04 (16:55):
Yeah.
But uh no, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_03 (16:59):
Um and uh John K.
Sampson, the lyri he's the umthe lyricist and the and the
lead singer.
Um his lyrics are deeply uhliterary, and he's actually a
published poet.
Um before and after his time inthe Weirdlands, uh Samson uh
published poetry and essays.
(17:20):
Uh his writing style blendsstorytelling and social
observation, and some lyrics, uhlike those in This Is a Door
Never To uh This Is a Fire DoorNever Leave Open, even read like
po prose poems.
Uh his literary background helpsexplain the album's emotional
depth and vivid imagery.
SPEAKER_04 (17:40):
Um Yeah, I like that song too.
SPEAKER_03 (17:43):
Yeah.
Uh Winnipeg is practically acharacter in the album.
The city of Winnipeg, cold,isolated, and full of quiet
dignity, is a recurring theme inthe band's work.
Uh the title track, Left andLeaving, paints a portrait of
urban loneliness and seasonaldepression that's specific to
Winnipeg but resonates farbeyond it.
(18:06):
And um then the next uh fact isalso tied to the album.
Uh it was recorded at PrivateEar Studios in Winnipeg.
The album was recorded in theirhometown, which adds to its
ground grounded, intimate feel.
There's a sense that the banddidn't just write about the
city, they made the album in it,surrounded by the very streets
(18:28):
and stories that inspired thesongs.
Um yeah, I mean that that is agood point, and it kind of gives
the album a little more context,and if you know I've I've never
been to Winnipeg, but I havedefinitely experienced the
seasonal depression and knowingthat um like that absolutely
(18:54):
makes sense uh yeah with thisalbum.
Yeah.
Uh if you are Canadian or evenlive north of um the like the
middle of the United States, youknow about what that feels like.
Um and Winnipeg is if you livein Siberia, I'm sure you get it.
Yeah, exactly.
Right.
(19:17):
Um so yeah, I can I candefinitely hear that on the
album.
Um uh that sort of thatintrospective time of winter.
And uh the the album blends uhpunk ethics with indie folk
sensibilities.
Uh though Left and Leavingsounds mellow and melodic, its
(19:37):
roots are in punk.
Uh John K.
Sampson left the political punkpunk band Propagandi to form the
weaker thans, hoping to exploremore personal and nuanced
themes.
The result is music that keeps apunk ethos, uh DIY, honesty, and
skepticism, but trays distortionfor acoustic guitars and poetry.
(19:59):
Sometimes.
Sometimes.
There are some loud guitars onhere.
Yeah.
Um, so yeah, so those are someuh interesting facts about the
album.
But uh, I guess we will get backinto the second half.
Uh, but before we do that, uhlet's hear from our friends over
at the Astroverts podcast.
(20:20):
So uh check that out.
SPEAKER_02 (20:22):
What's up, folks?
It's Jake here from theAstrovert Podcast.
Come join us as we playunderplayed and undershare bands
from across the United Statesand the world.
We've found local bands from theMidwest, Florida, the UK, New
Zealand, and far, far beyond.
Some of our recent favoritediscoveries include Sprawl,
Glitch Kingdom, City of Auburn,Flake, Michigan, and so many
(20:44):
more.
We feature Rock News by RockSparks again, Rock, as well as
discuss our band's journeytowards finishing our
forthcoming EP.
Our first two singles, Last Calland Tides of Elephants, both out
now.
You can find the podcast onSpotify, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
Thank you.
Here's side two.
SPEAKER_03 (21:22):
Alright, and uh ending the album with slips and
tangles.
Uh yeah, I I'm really likingthis.
Um one of the things I noticedit most on that last song is uh
the way it's recorded, you canhear the room.
Yeah.
Um and uh I really like that.
(21:44):
It feels like you're s you're init.
Like you're just you're watchingthem or it it feels it's an
immersive experience.
Um and uh I think in a lot of uma lot of music they try to mix
it in a way that to it doesn'tsound like the room that it's
(22:05):
in, but I like that you can itfeels you can you can feel the
space that they're recording itin.
Um and I noticed it that on onother tracks, but it was most
prominent on that last one.
Um and uh yeah, I I thinkoverall I'm I'm really liking
this album.
SPEAKER_04 (22:24):
Yeah, I I I'm enjoying it too.
Uh it's uh like I said, I don'tknow if it's gonna be one of my
favorite albums that we'vecovered on here, but it's nice
to sort of change the pace anduh get something that's uh you
know well that you know, travelsat a sort of a different pace.
It's uh yeah, it's uh it's it'sa pretty good one.
SPEAKER_03 (22:48):
Yeah.
Um yeah, I don't really havemuch else to say about it.
Uh I it's I think it's one ofthose things that it's like I
said, it's kinda hard to graspeverything on on a first listen.
Um But um and I think it's oneof those things that you sort of
have to maybe listen to a fewtimes to to sort of appreciate
(23:11):
it.
Um and I I think maybe that'sjust because I didn't I I I
didn't know what I wasexpecting, and maybe I just sort
of um I I just I I think maybe Ijust want to hear it again to be
honest.
Um but uh yeah, I I did enjoyit.
I and I did uh like his lyricsare really good um and unique
(23:37):
and uh Yeah, some the the thethe musicianship is really good.
I mean they're a really goodband playing together.
Um Yeah, I just uh I reallyenjoyed it.
Um so that being said, whatwould be your three uh
highlights on the album?
SPEAKER_04 (23:58):
Hmm.
Yeah, I was sort of picking themas we were listening, and I'm I
think I'm gonna go for this is afire door, never leave open, uh
Left and Leaving, that was areal highlight for me, and I
think I liked History to theDefeated.
SPEAKER_03 (24:14):
Yeah.
Those I think those are m thethe two of those are my uh f uh
my highlights.
The This is a Fire Door, NeverLeave Open, and Left and
Leaving, and and the last song,uh Slips and Tangles.
I really like that one.
Um Yeah, those would be my myhighlights.
(24:36):
Um so I guess that brings us tothe to the question is would you
listen to this album again?
Yeah, I'd probably listen tothis again.
Yeah, I would too.
Um oh I think it's prettyobvious.
I think I'm I'm going to.
Um just I'm just I I think Ineed to I need to hear it again
to sort of really uh fullyappreciate it.
(25:00):
But uh upon the first listening,I I I'm I I really did enjoy it.
Um so yeah, so I guess we'll uhend the uh episode there.
Uh, thank you so much forlistening if you made it this
far.
Uh we would love to hear fromyou.
Uh you can go to our uh thewebsite, polyphonicpress.com,
and you can get all the pastepisodes that we've uh done so
(25:21):
far, as well as uh go to thecontact page, and we'd love to
hear from you and uh maybe readyour uh your message on air.
That would be pretty cool.
And uh you can uh check out thePatreon, go to patreon.com slash
polyphonic press.
And if this is your first timeuh listening, uh be sure to give
(25:42):
us a follow and uh give us arating and review because it
helps uh new listeners find us.
And uh I think that just aboutdoes it.
Uh, I'm Jeremy Boyd.
SPEAKER_04 (25:52):
And I'm John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_03 (25:54):
Take it easy.
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