| Mass Romantic | 2000 |
| Electric Version | 2003 |
I'm not sure if it's scientifically possible for music to get much more fun than this Canadian outfit, who actually came together from several different bands to form the New Pornographers as a side project. What kind of 'fun' music does this 'side project' specialize in, you may ask? Why, indie-driven power pop, of course, with driving guitars and a whole array of keyboards, some of which sound like The Cars, and some of the most ridiculously entertaining melodies of the decade. Sure, they're just about as far from revolutionary as you can get, but really, there aren't all that many bands out there in modern music writing almost 60's pop-level hooks as impressively as these guys - I mean, who else can you name? To name a couple, I guess there's Belle And Sebastian and The Strokes, probably a few others too. I can't imagine there are a whole lot more, and I'm sure even less of them can boast production that sounds so detailed and full as the Pornos' albums.
As far as the band members go, their heart and soul is undoubtedly vocalist, keyboardist and main songwriter Carl Newman, with other occasional songwriter, singer and keyboarist (yeah, there's a lot of keyboards in this band!) Dan Bejar - whose voice is sometimes grating yet also distinctive - also contributing, though by Electric Version he wasn't around as much, being downgraded to 'secret member'. The real secret (or not so secret, actually) member of this band, though, is occasional guest vocalist Neko Case, who's also a solo country music singer - her presence often brings such an unbelievable amount of vibrance and personality to whatever songs she sings on it's capable of filling an entire house, also putting the other two guys' voices to shame in the process. Yeah. The other members, Blaine Thurier (keyboards), John Collins (bass) and Kurt Dahle (drums), are more secondary players in the cast, but definitely add quite a bit to the fullness of the sound. And now for the reviews, seeing as there are only two (for the most part really really good) albums to cover.
Oh, and yeah, I'm aware the name of this band doesn't exactly fit in very well with their actual style. Don't go into New Pornographers albums expecting 'porno' music, even if that is an err... umm... interesting album cover on Mass Romantic there.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
Nick,
Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed your New Pornographers reviews. Sorry it took me so long to get to them :). There's a joy and looseness to your reviews that's infectious.....maybe you were inspired by the music :). I've only heard "Letter From An Occupant" but I can't wait to get their albums. So great job, looking forward to more.
Ben
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Mass Romantic, Letter From An Occupant, The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism, Execution Day. LOW POINTS: Breakin' The Law.
Although the band's debut album (which only recently got reissued by good old Matador Records in 2003, therefore making it a lot easier to find) is a little overrated in indie rock circles who call it like, one of the best albums ever, it's still certainly an impressive batch of songs. Now, I can also understand the position of those people who call Mass Romantic 'sugary' in a negative way (like most overwhelmingly upbeat and fun pop music, this can easily grate if you're not in the right mood for it), but when the melodies are this friggin' awesome and it's done with such enthusiasm, it's a lot easier for me to give into this sort of thing. Sure, most of the songs follow the same 'driving guitars with incredibly singable melodies and all sorts of keyboard washes with the occasional Neko Case vocal popping out of the mix' formula, but damn it, it's a great formula that has been proven time and time again to work wonders!
Which it certainly does on the two best unbeatable classics. The opening title track is especially killer - we not only have a great buzzing keyboard line and one of the coolest singsong melodies known to man, but the secret weapon Neko Case appears! You know, I'm not sure what it is about those vocals of hers that give them so much character... I mean, damn. And you can't beat the 'this boy's life among the electrical lines...' repeated coda either. I also can't go without mentioning the big, big, big celebrated song "Letter From An Occupant" (which, not coincidentally, our favorite singer also appears on) - I always have to try really hard to restrain myself and not yell 'for the love of a god you saaaaaaaaay.... NOT A LETTER FROM AN OCCUPAAAAAAANT!!!' at the top of my lungs. Try it in a crowded mall and hope to hell New Pornos fans that are hiding around sing along with you! How can you not love those 'whooooo's right at the end of that chorus, or those whacked out keyboards during that 'the sun, the sun, the sun is shaking me' part? Purely great pop subtlety.
Aside from those highs, it's difficult for me to pick other standouts, since the rest isn't really drop-dead classic and, you know, it's stylstically similar and all. Still, I would definitely single out the loud swirling keyboard-driven "Mystery Hours" (I just love the way it spirals into a frenzy during the chorus, one of the rare times Carl Newman stretches out his vocals), "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism" (yeah really, the effect of alcoholism is like a really really happy upbeat pop song with wonderfully pretty backing vocals from Ms. Secret Weapon and a joyous 'something like this sooong' refrain - in that case, pass me a bottle!), the crunchy 'build up' tune "The Fake Headlines" (with harmonious keyboards and acoustic along the way), and the two-part "Execution Day" where, in the totally unrelated second half, they take a potentially stupid repeated chant over a slow death march sort of rhythm ('on... this... DAY... which began as.... execution day and sure enough... became... execution day') and make it seem uplifting and fun in a typical New Pornos way.
There's lots more very good songs where that came from. The Dan Bejar-sung "Jackie" is catchy as uh... anything, with the great immortal line 'visualize success, but don't believe your eyes', "The Mary Martin Show" is particularly lively (with effective usage of saxes), "Centre For Holy Wars" bops along almost like a Monkees song (with a cool ass synth part during the chorus), and "The Body Says No" is yet another time you might find yourself singalong to an on paper stupid as hell chorus - so much fun! There is one terrible misstep on here though, unfortunately - the closer "Breakin' The Law" is slow, lacks any kind of distinctive, memorable melody, the children's choir at the end is a stupid touch, and it's not even fun! A New Pornos song that isn't catchy or fun is like an AC/DC song with the guitars totally buried in the mix, if you ask me! But other than that weak spot, a strong 8 for this one, and it serves as a good prelude for an even better album to come.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: The Laws Have Changed, All For Swinging You Around, The Electric Version, Miss Teen Wordpower, Testament To Youth In Verse, Ballad Of A Comeback Kid, From Blown Speakers. LOW POINTS: None.
SCORE!!!! I tell you, if the Pornos' sophomore album had come out around 1995 or so and I'd have picked it up then early on during my musical development as opposed to now when I have hundreds of other albums to listen to, I probably would have played it an inconceivably ridiculous amount of times (though even to this date I've still played it quite a lot). Guy Peters said something to the effect about it being 'too catchy' in his own review, and I can see that - although Mass Romantic seems to get more acclaim than this one for reasons I haven't been able to figure out yet, Electric Version is the catchier (and thus superior) album to me, as all sorts of vocal and instrumental hooks not to mention the band's charisma absolutely overwhelm you in bursting out of the speakers to the point that it might be too much to take. Adding to that, the excellent production is even better and more detailed (it had better be, since they spent just under a year recording this thing!), and there's no shitty song at the end like "Breakin' The Law" either. Consistent from start to finish.
I'm not saying it's perfect, of course, as there are a few songs that I wouldn't exactly call masterpieces, but man, it's still one of the better (and certainly among the most entertaining) power pop albums I've ever experienced. Case in point: "The Laws Have Changed" - have you heard how insanely good that song is? It begins innocently enough, as Carl Newman pleasantly sings a catchy as hell melody over a driving guitar background, but then Neko Case unexpectedly shoves herself into the picture with a perfect counterpoint 'INTRODUCING FOR THE FIRST TIME....' melody that bursts with sheer giddiness. God, what powerful vocals! And competing with that song for my favorite is the wonderfully energetic New Wave keyboard-driven blast of "All For Swinging You Around", probably the most immediately striking 'OH GOD I'LL NEVER GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD FOR WEEKS' hook on here, just about as pefect a song to be played loud on your stereo as it gets - marvel at the great hook power, energy and production quality.
Whew - just like Mass Romantic, a lot of the material on here is formula (the main, if not possibly the only, reason why I don't call this the first 10 album of the 21st century I've ever heard), but I don't give a crap - it's utterly addictive formula that's really hard to dislike. I've mentioned the two hugest highlights, but this time around there are a lot more where those two came from! The opening title track is definitely one of them, with the playful guitar-led verses that perfectly burst into pure anthemic bliss (that 'just as long as it.... SOUNDS LOUD!!!! SCREEEAMING OUT OF THE MAGNET....'), and I totally adore those retro-sounding keyboards! They also close on a bang too, with the wonderful "Miss Teen Wordpower", which has probably the most gorgeously 'subtle' verse melody on the album, and more amazing Neko vocal action. I wonder - just how many great hooks and melodic ideas is Carl Newman hiding in his brain?
Like I mentioned in the intro, by this time, Dan Bejar is now the 'secret member' of the band, but he still found time to throw on three of his own contributions, and they're of the average quality for this album (read: awesome). The absurdly groovy "Chump Change" (with unbelievably infectious glam rock-ish 'whoo hoo' vocals) has the brilliant lines about flying 'into a lesbian rage', "Ballad Of A Comeback Kid" is a singalong rush of harmony capable of getting a crowd to yell out the chorus (I don't even mind his nasal vocals here) and "Testament To Youth In Verse", much like "Execution Day", is one of those two-part songs where the second half randomly veers into a slower ending that's still so infectious. Add that repeated 'the bells ring 'no no no no no no no no no no etc' as one of the most treasurable, glorious, hooks to come out of the year. Yes, I know it looks dumb on screen, but trust me on this one!
Ha, I don't feel like going into too much detail about everything else on the album, even though it's all well worth mentioning, whether it's the energetic "It's Only Divine Right" (both the keys and guitars are in top blazing form on this one), the even catchier version of "The Fake Headlines" done as "From Blown Speakers", the bleeping and blooping keyboard noises that color "The End Of Medicine" and "Loose Translation" nicely (although the latter is probably the least engaging, yet still worthwhile, song on here), and "July Jones" is nicely laid-back in a way most of these tracks aren't. Wonderful little gems, all of them, that make up this truly excellent, amazingly even, and of course goes without saying entertaining album that's some kind of great sugar rush. I'm not sure how long the band can keep up with this style without eventually becoming stagnant, but for now, Electric Version is a jewel I'll surely keep returning to. One of my recent faves for sure.
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COMMENTS
Lovely reviews Nick. I am glad you prefer Electric Version to Mass Romantic, because for some reason, a lot of people don't. I do believe someday this album will be a well known classic, and it's stature seems to grow every passing month....but hey, screw the times and waiting to look back on the passing year, and I'll just say this album is 10/10, and just as good as anything possible in rock and roll. - Trevor e.y.
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