The New Pornographers: TOGETHER

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Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
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I just wanted to let everybody know that this album is really fucking good. Was at a listening party, tonight, which sadly caused me to miss what sounds like it was a really entertaining Bulls win over the Cavs and which was held at possibly the most awkward location in all of Chicago (the Beauty Bar, which was inexplicably a combination bar and, yes, beauty salon...ugh), but it's all good.

First four songs were STUNNERS, and so were several others. One Neko Case-led track was both incredibly catchy and incredibly adept at making wonderful use of the words "byzantine" in a pop song. Hella-cool. Now typical baroque-pop, rather than the power-pop of days now gone (though there are of course hints of all that the band has done, including a few pretty damn-ass sprightly numbers). Wonderful, stately, fucking immaculate tunes.

Really a great record (after, I admit, just one listen) which I think could float Interference's boat quite well. I cannot recommend reading up on it and then buying a copy strongly enough.

Details:

Matador Records | The New Pornographers

And the first two promo songs. Stunners, both:

YouTube - The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)

YouTube - The New Pornographers - Crash Years
 
The New Pornographers have quickly become a favorite of mine. Their eclectic, poppy songs came along a few years too late for me, as I was more into that sound when I was 14 or so, but a great song is a great song, and the amount of songwriting talent present there is immense.

Has this officially leaked?
 
I really liked both of those songs, thanks. I'm only familiar with a couple of this band's singles (Sing Me Spanish Techno, My Rights Versus Yours). Should probably check out more of their stuff.

And, yes, the Bulls game was crazy. With a happy ending. Rick Rose put it on 'em.
 
I like the new songs, though I'm still not sure if I need another album from them. I've got the first three.

Any music collection can use more lively, literate power pop, I say. :up:

Can't wait to hear the stream. I'll listen, like, now.
 
This is one of the lighter albums they've made so far, by turns achingly beautiful and sprightly, though the latter attribute doesn't pop up nearly as often as on Mass Romantic. The opening duo is, sadly, the peak, but with a collective of songwriters this skilled, there's no chance of the quality dipping in any significant way. This album was pretty much made especially for me :lol: so you are within your rights to disregard my opinion, but I can assure you that this is quality indie rock, even if I am susceptible to alternatively swooning and rocking pop music.

Also -- and I never thought I would say this -- Dan Bejar steals the show. His three tracks absolutely slay. Between this and my current love affair with Jackie, Dressed In Cobras, I'm thinking of giving Destroyer a fair shot.
 
Hated it. Sounds a lot like Challengers, actually, which I figured they would have wanted to get away from after the tepid response that album received. Personally, I thought Challengers had some great songs to go with the wonderful craft throughout, whereas this new one just seems kind of lazy. If they're going to be really lazy, they should just throw in some hooks and give us Mass Romantic 2.0.
 
Destroyer is largely unlistenable, but at times spectacular. "Hey, Snow White" is one of my favorite jams of the last 10-15 or years.

But I really dig this. Good-ass album. Favorites include tracks 1 through 12.
 
Did anybody else pick up a copy of this one, today? Best Buy was selling the CD for like $8. Listened to it twice, this evening. Can't get enough. Sad that the band continues to release such stubbornly bare-bones packages, each time (I'd really like to know who does what, on these damn songs!), but the songs are all that really matters. And I say the songs are wonderful. Immaculate, studied, precise, slightly soulless, baroque-leaning power-pop. What the fuzz is not to love, right? Those things, if they're not your style, but they're mine.

That's five in a row that I really, really, really like and usually lovelovelove, from these cats. Getting into pretty elite company, as far as consistency and quality goes. Still, I would for some reason object to calling them one of my absolute faves of all time. At least at this point. Maybe that's the curiously emotionless element of the music shining through...? Not sure. All I know is that when I play these records, I am hopelessly in love with their music. Brilliant, I say!

Anybody else digging it?
 
Amazon did not deliver my copy today. They're really hit and miss with "delivery on the day or release" with indie labels. Looks like it'll show up tomorrow according the the tracking.

I'd like to once again mention that I"ll be seeing them for free this summer, with The Dodos supporting.
 
Haha, well I suppose it does depend on whether or not they are playing opposite of somebody else I want to see.

I hate how long they take to release the final schedule.
 
I think that I'm just going to drive up to the Milwaukee show, rather than paying like $80 to see them play for 45 minutes, at Lollapalooza. Bastards!
 
It depends on the schedule, but that is a strong possibility. Lineup didn't really resonate with me. In the best-case scenario, it'll be a case of paying more to see shorter setls by the band or few bands I would care to see than I would wind up paying to see them play headlining shows a little before or a little after Lollapalooza, you know? Everybody comes through Chicago, so it's not really a big deal. If Jimmy Cliff were playing a full set on the same day, then I'd be in. But he's not headlining. Green Day or whoever the fuck is.
 
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