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Reconstruction Site
by The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 79 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.7 out of 10
based on 10 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 16 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

This is the third album for the Winnipeg, Canada-based group led by former Propagandhi member John K. Samson.

LABEL: Epitaph
RELEASE DATE: 26 August 2003
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Indie, Rock

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Splendid
As wonderfully crafted an album as Reconstruction Site is, some listeners will be put off by its perceived highbrow attitude; it's too scholarly for the masses, too pop-smart for the avant garde set.
Read Full Review
88
Junkmedia
It's an outstanding piece of work -- literate, catchy, and emotional.
Read Full Review
80
ShakingThrough.net
Incorporating the best moments of the band's previous two releases, Reconstruction Site offers a clear blueprint for future efforts, built on Samson's instinctual mingling of liberal-arts smarts, poignant sketches of perceptive reflection, and a melodic infrastructure of pop and rock gestures.
Read Full Review
80
PopMatters
This would be an easy record to (dis)miss; aside from the intellectual reaching... it glides by fairly effortlessly on initial listenings. But textures -- Stephen Carroll's lap/pedal steel guitar, Sarah Harmer's cozy backing vocals that make the band sound like a more laid-back New Pornographers, Jason Tait's tight, emotional drumming and the warmth of vibes and glockenspiel -- reveal themselves long after the lyricism ceases to delight.
Read Full Review
80
All Music Guide
Musically, Reconstruction Site has more in common with literate indie types like Clem Snide or even the mature, clear-eyed work of Michael Penn.
Read Full Review
80
Magnet
A catchy rock record steeped in intelligent social and personal commentary that incorporates pedal and lap steel with great cowpunk results. [#60, p.119]
80
Amazon.com
An album that's smart at every level.
Read Full Review
80
Drowned In Sound
John K. Samson’s vocal and lyrical talent is the most immediate thing and, ultimately, what sets the band above the two-a-penny similar rock acts the world over.
Read Full Review
60
Q Magazine
There's a thin line between quirky powerpop and being They Might Be Giants. [Feb 2004, p.106]
56
Pitchfork
Throughout it's fourteen tracks, there's no doubting The Weakerthans are smart guys who keep up with literature and politics, but over the course of an entire album the band's ambitious literary posturing drowns in the bland songwriting and lack of captivating hooks.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Pat W gave it a10:
This band is the best thing Canada has ever done.

Marc L gave it a10:
Quite simply the perfect album. Catchy music, lyrical genius, no egotistical tirades

The B C gave it a10:
The best band you've never heard.

Mark k gave it a10:
It rules.

tawny e gave it a10:
the entire album is gold.. every song did it for me

jack gave it a9:
Wow.....This was the revelation of 2004 for me - a record as amazing as it is underrated, by a band I'd never heard of before. I didn't love it at first, but it got better with every listening. Sure, the lyrics are smart, but not self-consciously smart; they're also touching and funny. Last night, I walked into a record store wth the new Clem Snide cd playing; for a moment, I thought it was an earlier, less charming cd by Weakerthans....I'm sure the Weakerthans will give us something stronger in 2005.

robyn a gave it a 10:
This is probably my favorite band of all time. Their first two CDs were nothing short of amazing and this one definitely wasn't a letdown.

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