First: Sam Roberts is both a man, and a band. Canadian, too, if you must know. I don't think I'll ever forget my friend's story (take this as an aside) of her brother making eye contact and having Sam Roberts point at him approvingly after shoving a fellow concert-goer who threw a water bottle on stage. He's a cool guy, that Mr. Roberts, and I count myself as a casual fan. Chemical City is my favourite of their releases, and the alt collective with a dash of indie produces wonders such as "An American Draft Dodger In Thunder Bay."
"An American Draft Dodger In Thunder Bay" is exactly what you think it's about: an American draft dodger in Thunder Bay. A young man is convinced to enlist for the Vietnam War, though second-guesses the choice he made and heads north, across the Canadian border to Thunder Bay. It's a very literal song, but literal is done well here. Sam Roberts is full of wonderful storytelling abilities; that's why his beard is so big. The lyrics do it for me (I've got nothing against the Viet Cong, what did they do wrong?). It's a compelling story of an American on the Canadian Shield, and I give Sam and the boys an A for effort, an A for execution and an A+ for facial hair. Come play in Windsor!
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