 
In every bar in America, there is a band like the Constantines –
a scruffy group of blue collars, each pouring out tales of living hand
to mouth onto a stoic audience like whisky in a cold glass. Bands like
these are called “bar bands” or “drinking bands”
for a reason; their music is like a cold beer after a long day in the
trenches – a harsh bit of honey to wash the weight off your back.
So what then sets the Constantines apart from the rest of the tired,
the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free? The answer is in their
name, “constant,” and the Constantines prove on their third
album Tournament of Hearts that they are worthy of that title. Opener
“Draw Us Lines” pounds the listener with an urgent drum
beat while the band patiently constructs a thick, full rhythm. It’s
a combination fans are familiar with, one that has earned them numerous
comparisons to both Fugazi and Bruce Springsteen. But even those familiar
with the band will find much to be surprised with – “Lizaveta”
and album highlight “Good Nurse” find the Cons working with
different arrangements including both horns and lap steels, and album
closer “Windy Road” whispers with a certain shyness unseen
in any of their prior acoustic ballads. The Constantines have finally
learned how to be subtle; “Hotline Operator” and “Thieves”
are less bombastic and much more intricate than earlier work, which
can be credited to the increased contribution of the relatively new
fifth member Will Kidman on keyboards. But the biggest surprise on this
album is its sanguinity – the album swells with hope, its ten
songs are ten scars the members wear with pride, like war veterans eager
to tell the stories behind each one. Leave it to the Canadians to release
the hopeful and optimistic record us weary and wounded Americans so
desperately need. – David Gulbis |
The
Constantines