new New Pornographers

Slow Wonder is in league with their best records so, of course - out him in

really? always felt like those songs were strong up until the chorus, where they sputtered on the launch-pad instead of taking-off.

and i was a huge fan of this band not long ago (felt like i loved challengers at the time, but now can easily see why people say twin cinema was their high-point, with a somewhat uneven decline following it).

Don't know much about the New Pornographers beyond a couple of well known songs, but this is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mU99Hv77S8

I heard it for the first time very late in 2012--too late for my year-end, but I was able to get it onto my ILM ballot.

I dunno. Twin Cinema was a big step forward and "The Bleeding Heart Show" may be their pinnacle but my the highs on Challengers are pretty damn high.

"The Bleeding Heart Show" may be their pinnacle

can't overstate how great a song this is. i've played it enough for a lifetime, but the band deserves like a "lifetime achievement" award for that song alone.

Challengers doesn't somehow hold up as a record to listen to all the way through, but its strengths seem as strong as anything they've done.

So we're cool with keeping solo Newman and leaving out all the Case/Bejar/Fancey stuff?

i am. case and bejar and fancy's solo projects seem too far afield to include. newman's solo work, obv., isn't so far afield.

Agree re Challengers - the first two albums might be superior overall, but the best parts of Challengers are among the best things they've ever done.

no wonder no one talks about Together.
ca we agree it's their worst record?

had some really promising song ideas, fragments. never achieved liftoff. listening to it makes me think their energy is gone, even when they try to rev-up the guitars-and-drums.

But I still rate Together ahead of that 2nd Newman solo record, which had, like, 1-3/4 good songs on it.

the way the chorus in "The Electric Version" just explodes

Same with "Blown Speakers"

Or is it "Brown Speakers?" same thing I guess

"From Blown Speakers." that one is so great, too. also "The Laws Have Changed." never been able to get into any of their albums, but I love half a dozen or so of their tracks.

Favorite moment of the band is Neko screaming the chorus of "Letter"

And if you haven't heard fancey's first one with the orange on the cover, you should

so how's the new one?

Meh

uh no

not meh

Whiteout Conditions =

second installment of an incredible resurgence after the (relative) disappointment of Challengers and (especially) Together

worthy follow-up to the brilliant Brill Bruisers

packed top-to-bottom with perfect Newman New Wave/kraut-pop bangers

latest chapter of the finest discography of the 21st century

perspective i will accept/acknowledge: it is kind of starting to sound like Carl could do this in his sleep?

yeah, carl is good but best in small doses, which is why neko and dan are missed so much

thanking u alpine static for thoughtful summary
really hated to FP u but Challengers is fantastic

Which are Neko songs on the new one?

FP = ?

you're right, rogermexico., Challengers is fantastic. i sort of lump it together with Together, which is unfair ... i just revisited the tracklist of Challengers and yes, it's great. it's really only Together that I struggle with a bit.

but again, this band's worst moments are still better than most's best, imo

FP = ?

'face penetrate'

hmm, that's worse than i thought

New album streaming on NPR

lol - "flag post" but obv i was kidding

challengers disappointed a lot of people at the time bc it wasn't Twin Cinema II but it really holds up and imo may be their strongest top to bottom. title track is about as good as it gets if you don't go in looking for the auditory sugar highs of e.g. from blown speakers, mass romantic, the bleeding heart show etc etc all of which i obviously love.

together... yeah. better than a lot of outfits' best and some fine numbers but eh...

Challengers is classic.

yep. together is the one that is pretty much just a dud.

Agreed. "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" is the only keeper from that one.

if i didn't love "crash years" or "up in the dark" so much i'd consider agreeing with that nonsense

otm

yeah

new one sounds a bit noisy on first listen - but "high ticket attractions" is awesome

I could honestly listen to Neko sing "For a fee I'll fight any foe" in Play Money all day long on repeat. Not even the whole song, just that chorus.

Amen to that

This is their best album at least since Challengers (which as I said above I regard as a classic - severely underrated at the time of its release). On first listen I loved every moment of the new one.

The title track is great!

http://pitchfork.com/news/71162-raffi-strongly-objects-to-new-pornographers-name-ac-newman-trolls-raffi/?mbid=homepage-more-latest-and-video

ac newman is kinda a giant weirdo

It's Raffi making a pretty mild criticism of the name which makes perfect sense of you consider who Raffi is, then Newman freaks out with 15 persecution complex tweets, gross

After A.C. Newman saw Raffi’s tweet, he said, “TFW someone whose music you loved as a child says mean things about your life’s work.” Newman then clarified that he’s “not very familiar” with Raffi’s music and was attempting to “make him feel bad” with his tweets.

speaking as someone who only seven days ago referenced puppetry of the penis here on ilxor dot com, i must move to condemn ac newman's comment that their show is 'in bad taste'

penis puppets for everyone

if raffi didn't want to get harassed by irritable indie rock celebrities he shouldn't have joined twitter

the new pornographers are one of my favorite bands and have been ridiculously consistent over the last 17 years not to mention all the incredible side projects from band members

also their name is dumb af

if ac newman didn't want to get sonned by raffi after a porno beef he shouldn't have been born