The Constantines

Nighttime (2003)

Adam White

Bands I truly feel I grow with are ones I'm usually impartial to on the first
listen. I've just accepted this knee jerk reaction as the way my listening habits
work. It's likely because I fall in love with a record to such a degree that any
new material from the band seems strange and foreign at first. That's what happened
with my first listen of the new Constantines single Nighttime. For
the past year I've lived and breathed this band. Their juxtaposition of angular,
Fugazi inspired punk and soulful folk influences appeal to me like few new groups
have. To me, the Cons' debut album represented how a band can be mindful of rock's
rich history yet still innovate and provide new ideas.

So like all records I'm slow to warm to yet end up cherishing, "Nighttime"
by far didn't immediately grab me. The single from the band's "Shine A
Light" is titled "Nighttime Anytime It's Alright." The industrial-clamour
of the guitars and bass along with Bryan Webb's raw throated vocals make is
an odd choice for a single. This is far from marketable and instantly vanquishes
any fears that the Cons' deal with the prolific Sub Pop would have pressured
the band to write something for the public palate.

It's their loss though, because these four songs keeps revealing layers with
each spin. "Tank Commander" is another solid track from the new full
length. Again Webb's urgent howl plays perfectly off the band's quiet-to-dense
dynamics. This is followed by a Husker Du-like cover of the Talking Head's "Thank
you for sending me an angel." The disc ends with "Hotline Operator,"
which is more of an organ driven Radiohead-like jam then a traditionally structured
song.

While there's no track here as instantly gratifying as "Blind Luck"
from the band's fantastic Modern
Sinner Nervous Man EP, the Constantines continue to build their catalogue
with powerful, layered and intelligent punk.