I'm so glad that you exist

The new album from The Weakerthans dropped a few weeks ago and three excellent tracks are available for download from their new label, Epitaph. My favourite thus far is The Reasons, a sweetly anthemic pop song that features a rare chorus (few Weakerthans' songs have a traditional chorus). In it John K. Samson sings, with his gentle-yet-fearless sincerity, "I know/you might roll your eyes at this/but I'm so/glad that you exist."

I'm half-tempted to say "thanks, you too" every time I hear it.

John K.'s lyrics continue to hover perfectly between irony and honesty, without ever being sentimental or aloof. There's something about his voice that can make a certain phrase feel like either a warm hug ("how these memories lick my ear") or a punch in the stomach ("we know who we should love/but we're never certain/how").