The New Pornographers - Challengers
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Free Music Notes for Challengers
Free Music Review: Taunting and brilliant!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I first listened to Challengers (which was just the other day), I had the same reaction I did with Twin Cinema the first time I heard it. And that was something along the lines of "damn!, this is nothing like, and not nearly as good as {previous album name here}!!!" But after I got a little familiar with it, select songs from Twin Cinema would start playing themselves in my head, taunting me ever more for acceptance. Eventually, my ultimate reaction to Twin Cinema became something along the lines of "this is beautiful!, and blows Electric Version away!!". And so comes along the new creation from New Pornographers, and I've weighed it against Twin Cinema with extreme criticism, the same way I compared Twin Cinema with Electric Version. Now I'm at that stage where the songs from Challengers queue themselves up in my head to taunt me for acceptance.
I'll tell you, every song has a hook that sends chills up my spine, it's that good!! For example, in Unguided, they all sing "Do... do do... do ooh lah".... wow!!! That little hook alone makes the song brilliant! So is Challengers better than Twin Cinema??... In my honest opinion, I don't know! But it's brilliant I say!!!
Contrary to what I've read in reviews, with Challengers, I hear the New Pornographers as a united band, not solo-ists. The harmonies, for example, do not "feature" Neko or AC, but rather blends them very well....and along that note, it's fascinating how they are in exact synchopation when the band sings quirky lyrical structures together, all harmonious, not just in harmonies, but in precise word accentuation! No soloists here..this is the New Pornographers!!
Challengers is toned-down a notch or two, but it's really not THAT mellow. However, "All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth" is the only "fast fast" song on the album and compared to it, other songs do sound mellow. Did I just contradict myself?...I think not.
If you like New Pornographers, you will not be disapointed! If you think that Twin Cinema is gold fairy dust that nothing can beat, I say give Challengers a chance, and try not to be too critical at first...it's really a brilliant album!
For anyone else reading, buy it!! lol! Nothing is like New Pornographers. They have a beautiful sound that's all their own!
Free Music Review: Great new album
Hit: 4 Stars
I have slowly gotten into New Pornographers as they've put out more albums, and I must say that I found this album to be much more rewarding and much more immediate than the preceding material. Each of these songs are a roller coaster of emotion and a joy to be along for the ride. I love the more organic feel of this album, adding the harmonica and some violins on tracks. I think that it really gives the album a polished sound (though not overtly like a boy band) and gives the album a mature and delicate sound that almost signals that they've gotten to where they were going. My favorite tracks are....well, all of them. Unguided has a soft spot in my heart- I just can't get enough of the bridge in the middle.
While I love Twin Cinema, my one complaint is that it doesn't end very well. This, however, does with Importance of Solitude and Spirit of Giving. I can hear these wrapping up live shows for years into the future.
Great listen, very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Free Music Review: Sub Par Performance
Hit: 3 Stars
I am the head of the Carl Newman fan club. I think this guy is the best pop songwriter going these days. I love all of the earlier New Pornos albums, love the Carl Newman solo record, think "Sing Me Spanish Techno," from the New Pornos' Twin Cinema, is the catchiest power pop song since Cheap Trick peaked in the 70s. But this record drags. I get it that Newman and the gang are going for a thicker, sludgier sound here, and have attempted to live with the album on that level, have tried to understand why they didn't just do what they do best, which is to write uptempo, blazing power pop with melodies and hooks that stick like glue. I tried that, and I just can't get there. The fact is, the album is just not that good. It gets 3 stars from me simply because there are a couple good songs (although there is not one that I would put on a Best Of New Pornos mix, except maybe track 6) and because The New Pornographers performing at a sub-par level is as good as most pop bands at their very best. But overall I'm just going to kind of put this on the shelf and forget that it happened, then hope for an eventual return to form from this generally excellent band. I want somebody to give Carl Newman his hook-maker back.Free Music Review: Another chapter
Hit: 5 Stars
It's always so much fun having a fresh New Pornographers cd in your hand.
You know that what you're about to hear will be heavily layered, hook-laden and complex, but you also know that your expectation is, in some way, about to take a beating.
It seems strange to me that a lot of reviews on this CD have tended towards the 'not quite as good as 'Twin Cinema' side of things. No NP CD has stayed still - they're always evolving the story. This one finds them a little older and wiser and full of insight - the album has, on the whole, less youthful attack and has replaced it with a kind of mature 'effortlessness' and sometimes a sense of beautiful nostalgia.
But make no mistake, it's a brilliant sequence of tracks from a supremely talented ensemble. In my experience, there is no band producing albums this accomplished anywhere in the world. What's even more impressive is that such a diversely talented group manages to remain cohesive after such a long time.
My favorite moments on this CD (a little different to many of the other reviewers here):
'Myriad Harbour' - Every album, Dan Bejar's presence on NP albums works for me more and more. This is the standout cut from this album for me - if it was a painting it would be a landscape, full of atmosphere, observation and attitude.
'Failsafe' marks Kathryn Calder's lead vocal debut (she's the niece of A.C. Newman). This track is deceptively simple but it really packs a rocket of gradually evolving sonic power - a re-dressed 60's anthem. Don't listen to it in the car or the computer for the first time. Grab some real speakers, crank it up and let it wash over you.
"All the things that go to make heaven and earth" is a leap back to 'Mass Romantic' - Earth shattering, pounding, joyous stuff - just to prove they can do it easily if they want to.
'Go Places' is just a lovely Neko Case ballad - thoughtful, simple and perfect.
As usual, each song reveals hidden secrets on every listen. There is so much here to enjoy.
Don't worry about 'Twin Cinema'; if you're in a 'Twin Cinema' kind of mood, listen to that. If you're feeling like 'Challengers', then take that off the shelf. As Sly Stone put it, this is 'A whole new thing'.
Free Music Review: Mellower But No Less Brilliant
Hit: 4 Stars
The New Pornographers were asked in a recent Paste Magazine interview why they dialed down their sound a bit for this, their fourth album. They answered, in essence, that they did so because it was time, and just because they could. Yes, this is the "mellowest" of the New Pornographers' four albums. And yes, like other classic pop bands (think Beatles and Fleetwood Mac), the individual members are showing a bit more restlessness at showcasing their solo talents as their careers mature. But keep in mind this was always considered a "supergroup" of talented folks who get together every couple years to turn out a near-perfect power-pop CD. You may miss some of the kick-butt energy and enthusiasm of the previous efforts, but that's not to say the songs here are of any less merit. There's more of a "gorgeousness" to these tunes, for lack of a better word. Their ensemble has grown to eight members, too, including new vocalist and keyboardist Kathryn Calder. And as far as songwriting is concerned, I still argue that A.C. Newman is the most original pop songwriter this side of Lindsay Buckingham. Danny Bejar and Neko Case are no slouches either. As one would expect from a NP album, this is an album bursting with addictively catchy songs, kicking off with "My Rights Versus Yours", and continuing through gems like Neko's lead vocal in "Challengers", and standout tunes like "All of the Things that Go to Make Heaven and Earth" and "Mutiny, I Promise You". The last two NP albums have easily made my best-of-the-year lists, and there's no reason to doubt that this one will be near the top of my list, too, for 2007.