New Pornographers

there is an incredible dearth of old New Pornos live footage on YouTube. i found a clip from '03 and some stuff from '07 and that's kind of it.

weirdly of this small number of videos, two of these were from the one and only time I saw them in Seattle which was kind of cool to watch again.

I was 33 and saw Animal Collective the night before where my wife and I felt very, very old. This show was full of greying music nerds with at least a few pregnant women and we felt much more at home

I really really loved Whiteout Conditions—easily their best this decade; I listen to it as much as their first four classic albums.

Unfortunately I’m super lukewarm on the new album. Takes a lot of elements of the last album and smooths them out. It’s just missing that intangible oomph.

I'm of the opposite opinion: liked WC well enough, quite like this one except for the last couple tracks. Their best since Twin Cinema, but my suspicion of power pop means I miss the subtleties of their albums after 2005 (and don't think Bejar works at all).

suspicion of power pop?

Whiteout Conditions and Morse Code definitely feel cut from the same cloth—no Bejar, guitars pushed back and keyboards emphasized, and more of a constant duet between Cass and Wilson. That shift in sound felt freeing on WC; there was a lightness to it. This time around it feels a little more mannered. Idk.

More songs are rising up on subsequent listens but it still takes a few tracks to really warm up. My favorite NP albums feel stacked with perfection right up front.

Ages ago I emailed talk show host Rob Simone to ask what this song was and the answer made no sense until some more recent googling tuned it up. Will always be associated with Area 51 etc.

https://youtu.be/09Ix2inAWaI

saw these guys live last week and the songs from the new album generally sounded excellent, especially 'backseat driver.'

They rolled through town Tuesday and i didn’t make it out. Kicking myself ngl

Doing a small tour late this year w/Bejar doing Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema on back-to-back nights.

https://www.thenewpornographers.com/#tour

AC Newman is kind of annoying on the burd app

really wish that tour was coming my way, i would be at twin cinema night for sure

Sounds dumb but I wish they were playing a smaller NY venue than Webster hall

is Kathryn Calder not on this tour? i am seeing blurry photos that have a woman on keys at stage left and it doesn't look like her. anyone know?

So the new single.

Tried getting a discussion going over here: new New Pornographers

Upon first listen I like the one song that is available as a single.

I will always adore the first four albums, but tbh the album I play the most these days is Whiteout Conditions.

Same, mostly, although every time I reset I shore up my appreciation for at least one more of the other albums.

In order of how frequently I still play them (maybe slightly more objective than ranking by “favorite”? At least it spares me agonizing over placing Electric Version so low)

Whiteout Conditions
Mass Romantic
Challengers
Electric Version
Twin Cinema
In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
Brill Bruisers
Together

I would put Twin Cinema higher and bump Brill Bruisers a place but yeah.

Twin Cinema's my favorite. I underrated WC.

Brill and Together are a tier unto themselves. The only reason I rate BB higher is “war on the east coast”

"War on the East Coast" is my fave NP song.

Agree that the new single is solid.

that and Backstairs are my fav 2

Together is their weakest and is still pretty good. The last three albums have been consistent and sometimes great, but they still blend in together in my head (though I voted for Brill Bruisers in the ILX Teens poll). I'm going to re-listen today to sort them out.

i prefer the jap movie

I hadn't listened to In the Morse Code of Brake Lights for two years, it turns out it was pretty strong. I haven't missed Bejar on the last two albums because I found his songs on Brill Bruisers were the weak links. Sequencers really gave them a shot of energy that they seemed to be losing on Challengers and Together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rPYlH1626M

I like

Sounds good so far.

Official tomorrow?

lol why on earth is this thread marked NSFW

Certain picture of Neko maybe?

Ooh this is a very vibey record. Most of the albums post-Twin Cinema have had more buried hooks than the first three, and take repeated listens (or distracted listening) to really sink in. This one's doing that too but in a fresh way.

lol why on earth is this thread marked NSFW

― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Thursday, March 30, 2023 11:16 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

naughty artist name

The name Old Pornographers was taken.

The Old Weird Cartographers.

Professor Clank and the Old Weird Cartographer Society

lol

“Pontus Pilate” could almost be a Radiohead tune circa amnesiac

This is slack -- the tempos, that is.

I have a kneejerk allergy to saxophones in rock music, and as much as I try to overcome that, I can already tell I’m just not going to come back to this album as much as I do their others.

The saxes are meh too. I prefer Goon Sax.

Believe we even have a thread about that
(xp)

New Pornographers Are Alright If You Like Saxophones

not normally one for horns in general when it comes to rock music – but i feel like it *really* works on the title track.

Really like the sax, it gives me a Psych Furs vibe, which is a very good thing.

Not as sleazy.

Going to see the New Pornographers tonight. Have been a fan since Twin Cinema. Very surprised that they’re playing an old theater right in my backyard in suburban CT. This place seems to mostly host tribute bands, but over the years one of my favorites shows up: X, Paul Westerberg, Conor Oberst, and now the New Pornos. Here are the top 20 songs I’m hoping to hear tonight:

1. Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile
2. The Bleeding Heart Show
3. Sing Me Spanish Techno
4. The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
5. Another Drug Deal of the Heart
6. Failsafe
7. All the Old Showstoppers
8. Challengers
9. Brill Bruisers
10. Born With a Sound

Only meant to list 10, but since I misstyped 20, I’ll continue:

11. Dancehall Domine
12. Myriad Harbour
13. Go Places
14. From Blown Speakers
15. Twin Cinema
16. Moves
17. High Ticket Attractions
18. We End Up Together
19. The Spirit of Giving
20. The Laws Have Changed

was discussing this in another online spot: they're going the wrong direction in terms of draw.

enjoy, though! still the best rock band of the past two decades.