It's a minority position, but I know I'm not the only one who doesn't much care for Dan Bejar ("Jackie Dressed in Cobras" and "War on the East Coast" excepted).
― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 14:00 (three years ago) link
Minority position but have heard this before, not going to quibble.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 14:06 (three years ago) link
They were fine when I saw them 2 years ago (got the set list!) but never seen them in the early days.
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 14:16 (three years ago) link
No doubt over the decades they have improved.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 14:45 (three years ago) link
hideous, I'm also not a fan of bejar's compositions (or his voice)
― calstars, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 14:49 (three years ago) link
I remember being upset about missing their first show in Philly after Electric Version came out, and all my friends who went were like 'you didn't miss much.'
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Tuesday, November 24, 2020 7:22 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
i saw them in cambridge in this exact timeframe, they were great.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 15:14 (three years ago) link
Interesting. Maybe just a bad show.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 17:47 (three years ago) link
completely forgot until just now that i saw them play in prospect park with stars opening (maybe 2005-6?). the only thing i remember about it is that neko wasn’t there. and that stars were kind of boring.
― donna rouge, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:00 (three years ago) link
As noted upthread, I saw Superconductor in 93 or 94? And they were awesome!
I saw Zumpano shortly after and I absolutely hated them haha.
My local record store (Aquarius) hyped The New Pornographers up from the very beginning (one of the employees was an ex-Vancouverite and former bandmate of Neko's + friend of Carl & Dan's) so their first show here (2002?) was a Big Deal and they were very good.
Then again at an Amoeba instore circa Twin Cinema and they were okay, tho in-stores are probably not the best gauge of a band's live presence tbqh.
Then finally at Battery Park in NYC (with Dr. Morbius) around the time of Challengers and they were very good.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:03 (three years ago) link
Donna, are you sure it wasn't Battery Park?
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:04 (three years ago) link
albert, it was def prospect - just found the village voice review of the show, it was june 2005: https://www.villagevoice.com/2005/06/27/new-pornographers-stars-625-prospect-park-summer-stage/
DB wasn't there either, i guess, and the woman who sang neko's parts was carl's niece
― donna rouge, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:21 (three years ago) link
Dang, they played a lot of NYC parks in that time period, here's the show we went to (avec Neko sans Dan) in 2007:
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/new-pornographe-9/
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:27 (three years ago) link
Trying to remember where I saw them, Maxwell’s?
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:29 (three years ago) link
xxp
I think I saw them around the same timeframe, sans Neko and Bejar. I really only remember Kurt Dahle channeling Keith Moon.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:35 (three years ago) link
i don't recall much about that electric version tour show except for carl playing the intro riff to "barracuda" for some reason and that they did like 3 encores, to the point where carl had to tell us that they were pretty much out of songs.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:37 (three years ago) link
dahle had really perfected his keith moon impression by the time they were touring for twin cinema. no problems with the new guy but dahle was awesome.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:38 (three years ago) link
it's not even a fair comparison. dahle is a monster. the new guy is fine
― a (waterface), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:45 (three years ago) link
not really "early" but I saw them in 2007 right after challengers came out and they were great, it's one of my favorite shows I've seen. the whole gang was there but bejar kind of wandered on and off stage a bit
this was I think the first band that I got into thanks to napster as I'd read about mass romantic on some year end lists and wanted to check them out.
i listened to this for the first time in a while newman's 'tooooooooo wiiiillllllld homes' part at the end of that song is probably my favorite bit
― joygoat, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:49 (three years ago) link
I saw them in DC on the Electric Version tour and they sucked. But Bejar and Neko weren't there.
As to AC Newman solo give me "The Town Halo" but you can discard the rest.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:51 (three years ago) link
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 19:25 (three years ago) link
i lied upthread, the best newman song is "star bodies"
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 19:34 (three years ago) link
I'm taking another stab at the two recent albums - besides the lack of Bejar, I mainly just don't like the arrangements or mixing. crowded and fussy.
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Tuesday, 24 November 2020 20:02 (three years ago) link
catching up:
I saw them in '03 and they were excellent.
Count me among those not that into Bejar. He has some good ones - even great ones - on these albums but he is the third best songwriter in this band. (Not saying he's not good. He is! But Newman and Neko are top-shelf.)
Rather than get better over the years, as someone suggested, my last two NPs shows were carried by the catalog, sadly, as I think the band has sort of settled into a fairly unexciting live act. Neko's always fun and Calder is magnetic for some reason, but everyone else looks like they're going through the motions. Fortunately, the songs are so good it doesn't matter much.
"Carried by the Catalog" sounds like a New Pornographers song title.
― alpine static, Wednesday, 25 November 2020 05:42 (three years ago) link
Lol y'all knocking Bejar's songwriting are out of your minds.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 12:30 (three years ago) link
Like maybe if you're talking his tunes for NP, it would be acceptable but wrong, but saying Newman is a better songwriter is just nuts IMHO.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 12:32 (three years ago) link
I saw New Pornographers on the Brill Bruisers tour and they played almost entirely songs from the first 3 albums. Maybe a song or two each from the others.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 13:14 (three years ago) link
Reductionist snark: Bejar's fine if that's what you're looking for. I like pop tunes.
He wins for better beard, though.
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 25 November 2020 15:19 (three years ago) link
Bejar’s NP songs are awesome AND they get along just fine without him. I’ve said this in another thread but I think Whiteout Conditions ranks among their best. And the one from last year is pretty good too.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 16:26 (three years ago) link
probably time for me to dig into the post-Challengers era records.
― A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Chooglin (will), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 16:34 (three years ago) link
Bejar's fine if that's what you're looking for. I like pop tunes.
yes but the thing is he provides the band with many of their best pop tunes
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 16:35 (three years ago) link
― A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Chooglin (will), Wednesday, November 25, 2020 bookmarkflaglink
Whiteout Conditions>>>>Brill Bruisers>>In the Morse Code>>>Together
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 18:23 (three years ago) link
Have barely heard the last two but tend to agree.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 19:34 (three years ago) link
I generally have more tolerance for Bejar on the later albums; when I listen to Mass Romantic or Electric Version I gotta get used to that dude braying at me.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 19:39 (three years ago) link
I will say his voice has mellowed significantly.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 20:01 (three years ago) link
another nude descends the staircase to get fucked
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 20:38 (three years ago) link
NB: Destroyer in Chapel Hill last March was my last pre-COVID show.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 20:39 (three years ago) link
In the Morse Code was the first/only NP record that did absolutely nothing for me.
― Langdon Alger Stole the Highlights (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 20:41 (three years ago) link
That's how I felt about Together, aside from its title track. I think I liked Morse Code because I still felt the glow of the one that came before it. And I do really like "Higher Beams"
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 21:09 (three years ago) link
together is the only one that i think of as a complete miss. maybe i'm making this up but i think newman was maybe not in an amazing place mentally when they were doing that one?
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 25 November 2020 21:20 (three years ago) link
Yeah I revisited Together a couple of days ago and nothing really stuck out - I like every other record though. Morse Code isn't as strong as the two albums before it but it's still very good.
― Gavin, Leeds, Wednesday, 25 November 2020 21:28 (three years ago) link
Bejar's "If You Can't See My Mirrors" is my fave on that one.
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 21:49 (three years ago) link
"crash years" is my fav neko-led song ever
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 22:49 (three years ago) link
oh also "sweet talk sweet talk" is such a banger come on
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 23:03 (three years ago) link
Just listening to Challengers and Bejar’s “Entering White Cecilia” jumped out at me. I can see why people might find his, um, tics (or “ticks,” as Xgau wrote) annoying, but to me he just has a knack for highlighting his hooks.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 25 November 2020 23:54 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 26 November 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, November 25, 2020 6:03 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
i like this song a lot but i think the arrangement is lacking and it has this really weird abrupt ending.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 26 November 2020 01:18 (three years ago) link
hm yeah fair
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 26 November 2020 01:29 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Friday, 27 November 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
Feel like this is the wrongest fakest falsest new porno result
― pence's eye juice (Hunt3r), Friday, 27 November 2020 00:04 (three years ago) link
Tbh surprised Jackie beat out the title track and Fake Headlines.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Friday, 27 November 2020 00:38 (three years ago) link