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The Constantines
Nighttime Anytime EP
Subpop - 2003
Michael Panontin
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Nothing beats the hook-laden pleasures of a great EP, and the Constantines' Nighttime Anytime delivers the goods, with four slivers of gruff and grimy soul/punk. Mostly taken from the band's sophomore long-player Shine a Light (Three Gut), and released stateside on Sub Pop and thus a breakthrough of sorts for the band, these tracks serve as a perfect introduction to the Constantines' raspy, hard-hitting riffs .
The Guelph-born, Toronto-based quintet clobber us right off the bat with a couple of muscular tracks from the LP, followed by a pair of unlikely extras on this nearly flawless disc. 'Nighttime/Anytime (It's Alright)' and 'Tank Commander' whet our whistles a bit, especially the pent-up guitar action of the latter and Bryan Webb's gravelly vocals on the former. A cover of the Talking Heads' 'Thank You for Sending Me an Angel' beefs up the original while staying faithful to its anxious vocal delivery. But the closer is what really kicks things up, even as the guys stray from the formula, torquing nearly seven-minutes of sheer grinding angst on the excellent 'Heartline Operator'. A truncated version would show up on their Tournament of Hearts LP (Three Gut) two years later, but that jerkier version pales in comparison to this tense workout.
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Subpop
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