Reviewed by Samuel Parker

This 2009 album from the Canadian band built around singer/songwriter Sean Croley progressively blends ambient sounds with distorted guitars and the occasional heavily processed strings. It's an approach that works. 'Restitution' hits you with a sense of nostalgia - think Bono's vocals mixed with a musical style heard in early material from The Police. With a name like The Weak Need, one would be forgiven for assuming that this group are all about conceptual music, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the first track supports that initial impression as the majority of the five minute long title track is dominated by progressive instrumental sections interspersed with vocal material which supports the more emphatic layers of musical progression. The end of "Restitution" dies down with the riff of "It's Alright", the second track, creeping in. Extended musical interludes feature either distorted guitar or catchy minimalistic piano riffs while Croley's lyrics are consistently thought provoking. "Thank You" sums up the album with a clever blend of spoken word samples, synths, heavily processed instruments and some evocative images. Another creative album from the underrated Canadians.

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