Album: Twin Cinema
Artist: The New Pornographers
Twin Cinema perhaps doesn't have as many melodic hooks as earlier New Pornographers albums, but its more rhythmically interesting and Neko Case's vocals on ballads like The Bones Of An Idol are some of her best work. The Bleeding Heart Show is another highlight, showcasing not just Neko Case's singing but the harmonies of the group as a whole. You can detect the influence of artists from recent history -- The Flaming Lips on moody ballad These Are The Fables -- and more distant history -- The Who on Stacked Crooked. Bejar also has several songs of his own, including the lovely Streets Of Fire. My only criticism of the record is that the first side is more heavily stacked with pop gems, leaving the end of the album a little thin by comparison. Overall though it's rare to find pop music this multi-layered and melodically rich nowadays, and The New Pornographers are one of the few remaining torchbearers of what feels like a dying craft. Another of their LPs worth checking out is Together (2010), which featured collaborations with highly talented musicians like Beirut, St Vincent and Okkervil River. I'm also looking forward to listening to Brill Bruisers ahead of my 2014 end-of-year musical review.
Born: Vancouver, British Columbia
Released: August 2005
Genre: Power Pop
Canada's post-millennial wave of indie rock was highly impressive, involving Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, The Unicorns (and follow-up Islands), Stars, Feist, Patrick Watson and Wolf Parade, among many others. In among this esteemed company was Vancouver's The New Pornographers, almost the super group of Canadian indie rock. Many of its key members, including Neko Case, AC Newman and Dan Bejar (Destroyer), have had successful solo careers while also continuing to release albums together. Neko Case is a particular favourite of mine (especially tracks like Ghost Wiring, Hold On, Hold On and This Tornado Loves You) and she's the only member of The New Pornographers I've ever seen live. Along with Neko Case's wonderful voice, Bejar and Newman provide a good balance between Syd Barrett-like creativity and Burt Bacharach-like sophistication, and more so than the group's first two albums, Mass Romantic and Electric Version, Twin Cinema is the best expression of this unique chemistry. To my ears, it's their most ambitious record but also their most polished, its pop perfection aspiring to the same heights attained by The Beach Boys, The Who and Big Star. Two particular gems are Use It and Sing Me Spanish Techno, which (like most songs on the album) were written by Newman, and also feature brilliant drumming by Kurt Dahle.
Twin Cinema perhaps doesn't have as many melodic hooks as earlier New Pornographers albums, but its more rhythmically interesting and Neko Case's vocals on ballads like The Bones Of An Idol are some of her best work. The Bleeding Heart Show is another highlight, showcasing not just Neko Case's singing but the harmonies of the group as a whole. You can detect the influence of artists from recent history -- The Flaming Lips on moody ballad These Are The Fables -- and more distant history -- The Who on Stacked Crooked. Bejar also has several songs of his own, including the lovely Streets Of Fire. My only criticism of the record is that the first side is more heavily stacked with pop gems, leaving the end of the album a little thin by comparison. Overall though it's rare to find pop music this multi-layered and melodically rich nowadays, and The New Pornographers are one of the few remaining torchbearers of what feels like a dying craft. Another of their LPs worth checking out is Together (2010), which featured collaborations with highly talented musicians like Beirut, St Vincent and Okkervil River. I'm also looking forward to listening to Brill Bruisers ahead of my 2014 end-of-year musical review.
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