The New Pornographers - Challengers
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Free Music Notes for Challengers
Free Music Review: Easy on the ears
Hit: 5 Stars
If Jefferson Airplane/Starship were just coming out today, they'd put out an album that sounded like this. The lead vocals remind of Marty Balin/Grace Slick. Good compliment to each other.
The only thing I don't like about this group is their name, but that's easy to get past. The name just makes me think of a heavy metal band.
EDIT: I like the name better now that I know it is supposedly in response to Jimmy Swaggert calling music the new pornography (grin).
My favorite tracks are
Challengers
All The Old Showstoppers
My Rights versus Yours
Adventures in Solitude
Myriad Harbour
Failsafe
All The Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth
Mutiny, I Promise
Buy this album. You won't be dissappointed!
Free Music Review: Give it at least 3 listens before making a judgment.
Hit: 4 Stars
At after my first two listens, I was intrigued, but not overly impressed. But after about 4 listens, this cd really grew on me. It may be my favorite NP cd. There's just a couple songs that do nothing for me, about 90% of the songs are excellent.Free Music Review: Stand Alone Greatness!
Hit: 5 Stars
I will never understand why die-hard fans of any band insist that they write the same type of album every time out. I've read a few reviews on this site regarding the album that lament its laid back sound and, perish the thought, it not being a direct clone of Twin Cinema or Mass Romantic. I don't share that view nor do I want an act I'm into to do so. I simply want them to make the best album they can at that particular moment and NP have done so in spades.
Yes, the album is far more mellow than previous outings, yes it has a bit of a thicker sound in some areas but if they had never released anything else I think it would be hailed as a brilliant debut instead of slightly disappointing follow-up. It took me a few listens to get the new direction in sound and really digest the songs but once it took me over I came to the conclusion that it is probably as good as anything they have ever produced. Right now I'm so into it that I would even say it's their best album period.
Highlights for me include the Pixie's-esque 'Myriad Harbour', 'Mutiny, I Promise You' and the absolutely gorgeous 'Challengers' on which Neko Case truly shines. The one thing I love about this album that can't be said about their previous releases is that it's the first cohesive album they've ever put out. I don't mean to say that I don't love all of their songs from older albums, just that Challengers feels like the first of their records that should be played all the way through as a whole to fully appreciate it. Each song flows into the next perfectly and I find it difficult to skip ahead at any moment.
If your a longtime fan who has yet to get it I suggest you treat it as a beast all to its own. Don't compare it endlessly or come into it expecting certain aspects of older albums to be retained faithfully. As I stated earlier, I don't care which direction a band goes in as long as the end result is rewarding and this album has achieved that goal. I have a feeling this album will be looked back on in the coming years with greater respect than it currently is.
Free Music Review: Stunning
Hit: 5 Stars
I think it's easy for people to dismiss this album, solely based on the fact that The New Pornographers took this one in a different direction. Most of the time, I can easily agree to the fact that when good artists do something like that, it rarely ends well. With this album, however, the band did something different - it wasn't, by any means, far too drastic - but it was different, nonetheless. In doing so, they gave us something new, yet still stuck to their guns, creating an album that is both impressive and incredibly addictive.
As the album begins with "My Rights Verses Yours", it seems as if it may get off to a slow start. Then the song launches into a crescendo that reveals the classic New Pornographers sound with a new twist. It's obvious from the very beginning that the band has decided to incorporate new instrumentation into their music, and this is shown perfectly with the album's title track. "Challengers" is simply moving, as Neko's sweet voice sifts over a gutiar and banjo. This song is unlike anything heard from The New Pornographers, yet it still manages to stand firmly as one of their best. When the album launches into Dan Bejar's "Myriad Harbour", we then hear a quirkier side of the band, and the song in incredibly infectious. As the album progresses, it continues to deliver a fresher side of the band. They continue with their classic sound with songs like "All The Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth", as well as "Mutiny, I Promise You." The album also delivers two more beautiful ballads, like the Case-fronted "Go Places" and the Newman-Calder duet, "Adventures In Solitude". The album ends in the Bejar song "The Spirit of Giving", which is a great song in the likes of Destroyer.
The only slight dissapointment I felt in the band's 4th album is the fact that there is much less Neko Case. She takes the lead on her usual two tracks, yet her voice is heard less in the harmonies throughout the album, as Kathryn Calder seems to receive more opportunities to have her voice heard. I am a huge fan of Neko Case, and I think that this is simply a personal thing. I think that her beautiful, unique voice contributes greatly to the band, and I just wish it could be heard a little more. However, most people seem to enjoy the fact that Kathryn is heard more, so I really won't complain too much about it.
Of course, this isn't my favorite NP album, simply because I have so many different attachments to the other three. It's not as perfect as Twin Cinema, as a whole, and it doesn't give us any songs like "The Laws Have Changed" or "Letter From An Occupant", but the band has taken a different approach to this one, and I can appreciate that. It stands alone as a really great album.
All great bands much branch out; they can't continue to give us what we've already heard. I highly reccomend it. It's beautiful.
Free Music Review: The executive edition is worth it!
Hit: 3 Stars
If you're new to the new pornographers, you might like this album. However if you're a fan from previous album, you might want to spend the extra few bucks for the executive edition. It has a lot of bonus material, much of which is better than the stuff on the album proper. Heck, the Lite mix of "Go places" is worth the extra cost alone.