The New Pornographers - Challengers
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Music CD Cover Artist: The New Pornographers Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2007-08-21 Music Label: Matador Records Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for Challengers Album
Free Music Review: Album of the year.
Hit: 5 Stars
So here it is....Challengers, the fourth album by the New Pornographers. Having listened to Twin Cinema an obsessive number of times, I decided to buy this one early with Matador's Buy Early Get Now program. I wasn't disappointed.
However, to be honest, this album did not immediately grab me the same way that Twin Cinema did. That album was a pop masterpiece, and one of the best albums of the new century. Challengers is a little more complex, and requires a little more involvement to fully realize what makes these songs special.
My Rights Versus Yours: 10-10. Probably the best song on the album. It is a slow builder that eventually leads into an amazing chorus that still gives me chills when I listen to it.
All The Old Showstoppers: 9-10. Also a slow builder, although it is a little more upbeat. Great melody with some sing along lyrics. Could have fit easily with Twin Cinema.
Challengers: 9-10. The title track contains the first lead vocal from Neko Case. Without her, this song might have been a little boring, but, with her, it becomes a masterpiece with some great lyrics and a nice chorus near the end. A slow-moving, thought-provoking song.
Myriad Harbour: 10-10. Dan Bejar's first contribution. Was a little put off at first by this one, but it has since become my favorite. Very wild and crazy, yet also very listenable and easy to sing along to.
All Of The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth: 8-10. Long title, short song. A throwback to the early days; very upbeat.
Failsafe: 7-10. Kathryn Calder's first lead vocal as a New Pornographers. She sings great, but the song does not have the same immediate classic status as the predecessors.
Unguided: 9-10. At six and a half minutes, this song is and epic. Unguided contains many different moments, almost like a suite, built around a strong chorus. Very strong song.
Entering White Cecilia: 8-10. Typical Dan Bejar song. Provocative lyrics, great chorus, and a very unpredictable rhythm.
Go Places: 10-10. The best Neko Case song yet. Her voice is absolutely amazing, and she carries this song to the point of it becoming a masterpiece.
Mutiny I Promise You: 9-10. Another throwback to the early days. Great song.
Adventures In Solitude: 10-10. The most downbeat and moving track on the album. With a duet between Carl Newman and Kathryn Calder, this one can't be beat.
The Spirit Of Giving: 9-10. The album closes with a Dan Bejar song. Very bizarre, yet strangely listenable, with a great chorus to fade away to at the end.
So there you have it. In my opinion, this is the best album they have ever done. Admittedly, it did take a few listens for that opinion to become fully realized. Unlike the immediate appeal of Twin Cinema, this one takes a little longer to digest. Once it does, however, you will find that this album is not only the best album of the year, but one of the best albums of the new century. I already know that this is a year of many great albums, with new releases from the Shins, Bloc Party, Rilo Kiley, and the Arcade Fire. Yet I can confidently say that this album is better than all of those. You owe it to yourself to pick this one up.