Reconstruction Site
by The Weakerthans
  • Record Label: Epitaph
  • Release Date: Aug 26, 2003
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Q Magazine
    60
    There's a thin line between quirky powerpop and being They Might Be Giants. [Feb 2004, p.106]
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  2. Pitchfork
    56
    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.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Most Discussed Album of 2003
39
#39 Most Shared Album of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
  1. PatW
    Oct 27, 2006
    10
    This band is the best thing Canada has ever done.
  2. qwer7yfreak
    Jan 30, 2011
    8
    I hate Winnipeg.
  3. db0928
    Oct 15, 2010
    10
    This is, in my opinion, one of the best evaluations of grief and loss in any form of media; it's easily the best album I've ever heard toThis is, in my opinion, one of the best evaluations of grief and loss in any form of media; it's easily the best album I've ever heard to grapple with the idea. Nothing I've heard or seen, and very little I've read, has come even close to capturing the spectrum of emotions and states that accompany the process of loss and mourning, from awaiting the inevitable to grim reflection, and the cacophony of emotions in between. Even during the album's upbeat beginnings, you can can visualize the grimace behind Samson's voice as he sings about how, "I'm so glad that you exist" on "The Reasons"; the relentless ennui and depression that permeates throughout "Plea from a cat named virtue"; the desperate attempts to re-enter back into normalcy on "Our Retired Explorer"; the passive introspection on "A New Name for Everything"; the sheer desperation and agony of "Benediction" (the album's highest point); everything is agonizingly perfect in capturing the whole spectrum of the experience. Yet, in spite of how depressing this album's theme may seem, its so brilliantly crafted that it's not an album only to break out on rainy days and at wakes; some of these songs are almost criminally catchy ("The Reasons" "Our Retired Explorer"), and the album speaks just as much to the lasting joy of memory as it does to the sorrow of immediate loss. Indeed, as heartbreaking an album as "Reconstruction Site" may be, it doesn't end leaving you an emotional mess; in fact, it makes everything feel a little bit better, strangely.

    TL;DR: This is one of the best albums ever made. If you haven't listened to it yet, stop what you're doing and get it. (Standout tracks: Everything! What, not particular enough? Ok, fine, "Reconstruction Site", "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute", "Our Retired Explorer (Dines with Michael Focault in Paris, 1961)", "A New Name For Everything", "One Great City", "Benediction")    … Full Review »
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