With three successful folk rock albums marked by John K. Samson's vastly praised lyrics, the Weakerthans have garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Bold statements like "best Canadian songwriter" have been thrown around in the last decade, but somehow Samson has avoided letting it all go to his head.

"It makes me feel like a fraud. It's like 'What are you talking about?'" muses the talented artist. "I try not to read that stuff. It's very flattering, but it seems a little crazy to me." Originating from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Weakerthans are playing at the Myer Horowitz Theatre tonight with The Last Town Chorus. Expressly modest and a fan of reading, curling and bird watching, Samson comes off as a prototypical Canadian. The band's latest album Reunion Tour showcases a good slice of Canadiana with songs like Elegy For Gump Worsley, a heartwarming number about the legendary NHL goaltender.

But when comparing the new album to his band's previous recordings, perhaps Samson could justly set his modesty aside for a moment or not.

"I don't really listen to the last records," he claims. "After they've been out for a couple weeks, I don't listen to them anymore. I don't really remember."

Reunion Tour is an impressive effort that's been a long four years in the making explaining the reason for the album's cheeky title.

Samson's lyrics are spotted with bits of dark and clever humour, something he finds important in all types of writing. The more talked-about aspect of Samson's lyrics is the political angle.

A decade ago, as the bass player for punk band Propagandhi, his politics were pissed off and front-and-centre. Although Samson still considers himself a political writer, The Weakerthan's political lyrics are a much more subtle manner.

Interestingly never writing about his own personal experiences, Samson's lyrics on Reunion Tour paint song-by song portraits of the often unfulfilling lives of average citizens in our current political climate.

"I think trying to empathize with other human beings who aren't like you or who aren't you is really a political act," Samson explains. "I think that the act of empathy is what's really missing in the world of politics, which is why people can so easily go to war with other people."