New Pornographers

[modage]

why is everybody talking about the new pornographers like they are new? why was nobody going apeshit when the electric version came out?

yeah i'm not sure, but you're right about that.  my cousin burned me a copy of Electric Version 2 christmas's ago and i had never even heard of them before.  and i subscribe to the same magazines now as i did then, so they definitely werent getting the attention they're getting now.  (they had the front page review in spin with a fullpage illustration?!)  but whatever the reason, it's good that they're getting some attention though i agree that Electric Version is probably as good as this new album.  but this one is new, so i guess i'm talking about them cause the thread had like 3 responses in it and i wanted to see if i could turn a few people around here onto them since it probably is my favorite cd now this year.  now i'm eagerly awaiting the results...

more praise:


Rolling Stone: 4 Stars
"Everytime the New Pornographers put out a record, it's like discovering a greatest hits album from some lost early seventies AM-radio group that was too good to really exist."

GQ
"Twin Cinema, the bands third and best album is not jaded, complicated, or precious.  It is pure joyous pop from beginning to end, a perfect midsummer record that you'll be singing along with instantaneously."

Paste: 4 Stars
"Twin Cinema is compulsively playable, a cohesive collection of razor sharp pop bliss."

Paper
"The Bleeding Heart Show makes clear the New Pornographers have gone somewhere deeper than they ever dared to travel on their earlier albums.  It's a place that has colors in the darker end of the spectrum, distinct flavors galore and a vibrant sound that will have their fans knocking down the doors to get in."

Giant: A+
"Over the course of two albums, the Vancouver-based group has shown its penchant for layering keys, guitars, horns, drums and vocals into exquisite power pop choruses- the kind that remind you how ridiculously giddy great music can make you feel."

[Slick Shoes]

i picked up twin cinema earlier today, on my lunch break -- my intro to the band. have listened to the first half twice so far. first listen felt lukewarm towards it. grew tremendously on second listen, once melodies were familiar. i expect to be able to get into it a fair amount. i've always had an affinity for jangly pop stuff like this.

also, anybody in the l.a. area can see them for free tomorrow, 7pm, at tower on sunset. be there!

yeah, i found out you have to buy the album to get a wristband, which allows you to see them, i think.  I don't mind buying the album a second time, since I get to seem and all, and they're a lot of fun live.  You can get the album signed, so thats pretty cool.

oh. i didn't know about the wristbands. you could probably still see and hear them pretty well without one. i'll  be the asshole watching from across the street.

[Pubrick]

more praise:

just keep telling urself that.

[ABKman18]

more praise:

just keep telling urself that.

well, what else is it? less praise?

[Pubrick]

well, what else is it? less praise?

more ppl kidding themselves.

[GoneSavage]

I just test drove Twin Cinema and it's my least favorite of the three.  Not saying it's bad, it's a good album but it does not stack up to where they've set the bar.  

I'll be seeing them tomorrow despite the absense of Neko and Dan, both of whom steal the show throughout the three albums.

Meh.

[ABKman18]

I just test drove Twin Cinema and it's my least favorite of the three.  Not saying it's bad, it's a good album but it does not stack up to where they've set the bar.  

I'll be seeing them tomorrow despite the absense of Neko and Dan, both of whom steal the show throughout the three albums.

Meh.

wow, for me, its their most interesting record to date.  I absolutely adore Mass Romantic--like I'd kill for that record.  I like EV a lot too, but that one doesn't have the same oomph as the other two have for me.

[modage]

I just test drove Twin Cinema and it's my least favorite of the three.  Not saying it's bad, it's a good album but it does not stack up to where they've set the bar.

but YOU told everyone to buy it!  its a grower.

I'll be seeing them tomorrow despite the absense of Neko and Dan, both of whom steal the show throughout the three albums.

Meh.

that sucks, because i'm pretty sure they're supposed to be on for the whole tour.  i read somewhere that AC said he was psyched cause it would be the first time in forever everyone would be there for the tour and that would explain letting Destroyer open a bunch of the dates.

[GoneSavage]

Yes, yes, I know.  Haha, oh well.  No one will ever listen to me again ... or for the first time as it were.  It's not like I don't like it, let's get that straight.  "The Bleeding Heart Show" honestly may be my fav NP song ever.  There are a lot of bright spots on the album, and a lot of room to yes, grow on me, but I just had to rate it as my least favorite.  Kinda like if I had to name my least favorite Stooges record it'd be the first one even though I love that record, it just happens to be rated lower than Fun House and Raw Power.  It doesn't mean I don't like it.  

And I didn't even get the 7" for fuck's sake, they must have been out which astounds me.  

Funny sig, mod.  

Anyway, I'll bring back a report later today/tomorrow of the live performance of the Some Pornographers.

[ABKman18]

Neko Case--and Dan Bejar even--will be on the official tour.  the past week was just a professional thing. Go here and you can watch the KCRW  Morning Becomes Eclectic performance and see the newest member, Kathryn, who's been singing all of Neko's parts while she's been gone.

I'm very excited for the real tour now!

http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=mb&air_date=8/26/05&tmplt_type=show

[GoneSavage]

Yes, this was just an in-store (technically an out-store) today.  Neko's absense was not missed since like that guy said, the new keyboardist, AC's niece apparently, took over the female vocals and did a great job.  

Twin Cinema
Use It
The Laws Have Changed
The Bleeding Heart Show
Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
Sing Me Spanish Techno

The Candians were dying in the heat but pulled it off pretty well.  I'll try to see their proper show when they come back around next month.

[modage]

just saw New Pornographers for the first time.  it was SWEET.  no Neko, but a surprise Bejar* (including mini-Destroyer set) was awesome.  songs played were

10 from Twin Cinema - Twin Cinema, Bones of An Idol, Use It, The Bleeding Heart Show, Jackie Dressed In Cobras*, Sing Me Spanish Techno, Three Or Four, Star Bodies, Streets Of Fire*, Stacked Crooked

3 from Electric Version - The Laws Have Changed, All For Swinging You Around, It's Only Divine Right

5 from Mass Romantic - Mass Romantic, Fake Headlines, Slow Decent Into Alcoholsim, Jackie*, Breakin' The Law*

plus a spot-on Cars cover of My Best Friends Girl sung by the drummer and a guest-Trumpeter on Stacked Crooked (which was probably the best thing they did live).  

its funny that all bands seemed to have a 'bastard' album.  was it coincidence or why did they draw more from their first album than the 2nd?  many bands do this.  its puzzling.

seeing them live though, i can sort of see why they're not a bigger band.  i'm not sure if it was because they played so early (7:00) or what, but it seemed to take them a few songs to warm up.  but when they were going they sounded great.  

it's funny though when people talk about grunge as being a movement where the guys in the band looked like normal people.  i dont think so.  look at kurt cobain, it was grungeglam but it was still glam.  he looked like the rock star of that era, and it was cool.  new pornographers are not cool, they're just dudes (and chicks) that write great songs but they're kind of dorks.  not neccesarily very attractive.  kind of like wilco before they had all the YHF cred.  and i sort of like that.    in the past week i've seen a few bands (Sahara Hotnights, who really rock live and Dandy Warhols, who don't) who even though they're small bands they have the rock posturing down and the stage presence.  during the new p's set they realized that at one point they had 40 minutes left but only 2 songs left on the setlist.  it really seemed to bewilder them even though they have 3 albums to pull songs from as to what they would play next.  it's probably only a matter of time before their stage presence catches up with their songwriting ambition.  but for now it's nice to see a band as unpretentious as this play and have a good time.

[ABKman18]

wow, they usually have a huge stage presence. One of the best bands I've seen live before.  I'm very surprised Neko didn't show up.  I thought she was going to be on the main tour; well, I'm hoping she'll be on the rest of the tour at least.  She better be at my date, or I'm gonna hurt someone.  well, glad to hear about the set.  I think they played more from MR than EV due to MR just being a more rocking album and just a lot more playful.  For me, it's a lot more fun to sing along to.  That's awesome they played such a long set--they rock my world.

[modage]

yeah, maybe it was just the early show time that made things a little weird.  the show was 'sold out' but it was never packed.  maybe they set aside more cmj spots than people showed up.  probably didn't help that they were competing with the Arcade Fire (with not-so-surprise guest Bowie) in Central Park.  in retrospect i should've gone to that show instead too!  i wouldnt worry about neko, this cmj thing is seperate from their actual tour so she should be there in the future.

[Reinhold]

hey, i was just in astoria! there's a greet hookah bar in one of the arabic neighborhoods.