''Reconstruction Site'' is the third studio album by

The Weakerthans The Weakerthans are a Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive. History The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he l ...

, released on August 26, 2003. A song cycle about grief, regret, loss and eventual hope, the album is thematically framed by three tracks, "(Manifest)", "(Hospital Vespers)" and "(Past-Due)", which set three different

sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

s following a terminally ill hospital patient into the aftermath of his death to the same melody. Other songs examine the album's themes from different angles: "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute"Some sources give the title as "Virtue" rather than "Virtute". The title is correctly spelled "Virtute" and pronounced "Vir-too-tay". is written from the perspective of a depressed person's cat, "One Great City!" is about Samson's love–hate relationship with his hometown of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, and "Our Retired Explorer" imagines a dinner date between philosopher

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

and a hopelessly nostalgic member of

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

's expedition to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. Guest musicians on the album include Sarah Harmer and

Christine Fellows Christine Ann Fellows (born 1968) is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. History Born in Windsor, Ontario, and raised in France and Kelowna, British Columbia, Fellows lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Guelph and Montreal ...

. The album's cover art was designed by Canadian artist and fellow Winnipegger Marcel Dzama. The song "One Great City!" serves as the theme song to the Canadian television comedy-drama series '' Less Than Kind''. In 2013, the album made

Ballast Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within ...

's list of top 50 Canadian albums of all time.Bergman, Andrew J
"The 50 Greatest Canadian Albums of All Time"
"

", Feb 13, 2013 accessed Feb 14, 2013.

Track listing

All songs by The Weakerthans and all lyrics by John K. Samson. #"(Manifest)" – 1:45 #"The Reasons" – 2:50 #"Reconstruction Site" – 2:45 #"Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call" – 2:45 #"Plea from a Cat Named Virtute" – 3:49 #"Our Retired Explorer (Dines with

in Paris, 1961)" – 2:23 #" Time's Arrow" – 2:53 #"(Hospital Vespers)" – 1:41 #"Uncorrected Proofs" – 2:42 #"A New Name for Everything" – 4:04 #"One Great City!" – 2:55 #"Benediction" – 3:28 #"The Prescience of Dawn" – 4:37 #"(Past-Due)" – 2:10

References

{{Authority control 2003 albums The Weakerthans albums Albums with cover art by Marcel Dzama