This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
It has been a decade since beloved Canadian rockers Lowest Of The Low took a wrong turn on the road to fame and imploded. And four years since they improbably rose Phoenix-like from their own ashes.
All of which is a long way of saying their third studio disc Sordid Fiction is long overdue. Thankfully, that’s not all it is. It’s also a swell, exquisitely crafted set of first-rate power-pop and indie-rock, along with the odd bit of chugging punk or trip-folky pop. It is loaded with scrappy guitars and gorgeous melodies and layers of harmony and undeniable hooks. And it is all topped by smart, poetic lyrics voiced in either the dusky Elvis Costello tones of Ron Hawkins or the John Samsonesque yip of Stephen Stanley. Speaking of The Weakerthans, they even get a shout-out on the suitably nostalgic and poignant A Casual Overdose. All of which is a long way of saying Sordid Fiction was worth the wait. Just don’t implode again and make us wait another 10 years, OK, guys?
