The Weakerthans: Left and Leaving

I was living in the dorms; it was Christmas break and I hadn’t gone home, but everyone else had. I’d opened the window in the tiny shared living room of our four adjoined rooms, and lay, smoking cigarettes, on the rug in front of the TV. Alice in Chain’s Jar of Flies played start to finish as the heat from the vents fought the Colorado winter. I’ve never been one who memorises lyrics, or remembers the name of a song for that matter. I can hardly remember a band’s name. I can remember everything from Jar of Flies. I went for a walk this morning and listened to The Weakerthans Left and Leaving from start to finish. I won’t bore you with a music review: “inventive, filled with feeling, lonely lyrics and moments misunderstood—songs strung together by simple rhythms that punch above their weight”.