The New Pornographers album Brill Bruisers is coming in August 2014.

http://matablog.matadorrecords.com/2014/06/10/coming-august-26-the-new-pornographers-brill-bruisers/

“This is a celebration record. After periods of difficulty, I am at a place where nothing in my life is dragging me down and the music reflects that. We wanted Xanadu and we wanted Sigue Sigue Sputnik, which translated into sparklier and faster.” – A.C. Newman

http://matablog.matadorrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/smallOLE-1047-New-Pornographers_BrillBruisers_AlbumPackshot.jpg

1. Brill Bruisers
2. Champions Of Red Wine
3. Fantasy Fools
4. War On The East Coast
5. Backstairs
6. Marching Orders
7. Another Drug Deal Of The Heart
8. Born With A Sound
9. Wide Eyes
10. Dancehall Domine
11. Spidyr
12. Hi-Rise
13. You Tell Me Where

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhhtSXk1c70

cautiously excited

I'm trying to guess which song titles are Bejar's. I suspect "Another Drug Deal of the Heart," but that might be too obvious.

dancehall domine, right?

i'm trying to guess which song titles are tobin sprout's.

Damn. Thread bookmarked for sure.

sounds more craig finn than jeff lynne, but not bad

hoping title video features boxing match btwn Carole King & B Bacharach

nice song.

back to Electric Version in a way

like this song a lot

those endless hooks..

if Neko Case sings lead on "Champions of Red Wine" my heart will surely melt

and if she sings in Fantasy Fools?

yeah, electric version is totally my preferred vintage, and this sounds good to me.

xp nah, that one oughta be a duet

I understand that in middle age it's tough playing balls-out all night, but "Brill Bruisers" sounds a lot like more post-Challengers Newman, which is to say, lots of mid-tempo bombast and not much driving-with-the-windows-down fun to be had.

dunno I kinda get a "from blown speakers" vibe

Yeah, it's kind of in between "Moves" and "It's Only Divine Right."

excited for this

excited too

happy that neko is involved

I'm also waiting for Fancey's new one, whenever that comes out

Any guesses as to whether or not Neko and/or Bejar would be on this fall's tour? Have either said definitively in the past that they're done touring with the NPs and I missed it? Do they only pull 'em out for special occasions?

I guess my hope is that they might be on the tours immediately following the release to help boost the promotional push.

that's not unpredictable:
she was involved on every record they did

xpsot

xp Hard to say, Neko's currently still touring for her latest, and this tour would start right on the heels of hers, so who knows? Was surprised to see that the Cleveland date is at House of Blues; they played there last time they were in town and Neko quite vocally derided both the venue and the sound right from the stage, and asked why they weren't playing the Beachland Ballroom instead.

Always a crapshoot with Bejar. I've been to four of their shows, two with him, two without. At the last Cleveland stop he wasn't there, so they got someone from the audience to sing "Myriad Harbor."

the more neko on lead vocals the better

new song was stuck in my head all day long. fuck you NP!

If this tweet from a Portland venue is to be believed - and Newman RTd it - then Case/Bejar will be along for the ride this fall:

https://twitter.com/aladdintheater/status/480141468443480064

oh, I just clicked through and it's very clearly being pushed as such:

http://www.crystalballroompdx.com/events/127177-The-New-Pornographers-featuring-AC-Newman-Neko-Case-and-Dan-Bejar-Destroyer

That's cool, but it makes me a little more anxious for the rest of the touring behind this album. If it's being so heavily promoted as such, it seems like early indications mean they won't all be around for the whole tour.

I would say that's a reasonable assumption.

I'm glad I have a ticket to one of these shows ... hope you (and everyone else) gets to see what you want to see.

I wish they'd let me write the setlist! (I'm a greedy bastard.)

Not knowing jack about the NP's and reading the last few posts here I get the impression that 1) they are the indie equivalent of Wu Tang Clan, and 2) Neko is the Ol' Dirty Bastard of the crew. Is this the case?

I'd pay good money to hear Neko belt out Letter from an Occupant at high volume

They transform like Voltron and AC Newman just happen to be the head nawmsayin?

Neko Case on some now you see her now you don't

Dan Bejar like roll that shit light that shit smoke that shit

I really hope this album is amazing.

I came around to Challengers after initially being disappointed. The opposite was true of Together, which I liked initially but now can't remember the last time it was played.

can't wait to hear about your arc with this one. everyone's arc. for every album. so many journeys to tell of.

I was kinda meh on Together when it was new, but playing it on a whim about a year ago I was surprised to hear how strong it was. "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" is killer.

Challengers is *the* underrated record in the NP catalogue, though, and I'm happy to hear that others since came around to liking it. I think its initial critical reception was so negative that man of us might have just too easily bought into it being a "disappointment."

New video for "War On The East Coast." (It's one of Bejar's.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMcumbSMY_8

love the video
love bejar's lyrics and the chorus but the song seems to kinda just go in circles

Heh, was just about to post that. I was a little mixed on the title track, but this is great.

bejar and newman's audition reel for true detective season 2?

lol @ the lipsyncing

Have always been a Bejar detractor (both in the context of NPs and with Destroyer), but this song is great.

bejar >>>>>>>>>>

man, I just can't stand Bejar's lyrics or voice

Always liked "Myriad Harbour" but otherwise dud.

Like this one too, actually.

bejar >>>>>>>>>>

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson)

over Newman??

Over a mote.

yeah actually, my playlist of bejar new pornographers tunes is functionally my favorite album by these dudes

great!

streaming over at guardian as well:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/19/the-new-pornographers-brill-bruisers-album-stream

i don't normally post my ish on here, but because nostromo asked:

http://www.chartattack.com/features/2014/08/19/interview-new-pornographers/

it just went up today.

thanks!

the new record is somewhat disappointing.

production too mellow. need more sharpness and energy (wish the whole thing was more like the first song..)

nice interview!

Bjar and Amber Webber (Lightning Dust) sound amazing together on "Born With a Sound." (As usual of late, the Bejar tracks are best.)

Which tracks star Neko?

"Champions of Red Wine" (which is great) and "Marching Orders" (which is forgettable).

this is great, it's cool i can now pretend together never happened

"Born With a Sound" is great! Will have to check out Amber Webber.

Always nice to hear NPs, such great songwriters and singers all of them, it's maybe kind of like how Tarantino describes Rio Bravo as a hang-out movie because you feel like you're friends with the main characters and when you see it you get to hang out with them again, when there's a new NP record you get to hang out with them again

I used to like Newman but now I think he should retire from the band he created.

niels,check out Lightning Dust's Infinite Light. great great record.

Webber is also in Black Mountain, and they're excellent if you like proggy hard rock. Haven't kept up w/ them lately, but their In the Future record is pretty perfect. her voice is very prominent on that one.

aah that makes a lot of sense, was quite into Black Mountain for a while, remember preferring eponymous album but would like to revisit Future. Saw them live in 2008 but remember it as kind of weird and spacey and then I tuned out.

My local library doesn't have Infinite Light but just ordered the Fantasy cd, hope it's good too.

Spidyr sounds like an out take from Kaputt

(untill the bombastic ending that is)

and You Tell Mt Where sounds like a Game Theory song, as Newman said himself.

Spidyr is also a Swan Lake cover.

$8.99 this week only at Best Buy.

Hipster Traveling Wilburys

No that's the Traveling Wilburys

That time Jenny Lewis covered "Handle With Care" with fucking Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst and M. Ward is likely a better candidate.

traveling wilburys own so

otm

this is pretty good so far

Letterman performance of title track. Looks like Kelly Hogan is becoming a touring New Pornographer thanks to Neko.

https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SaHXd4RhDs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SaHXd4RhDs

That's not Kelly Hogan that's Coco from the Ettes

You're Coco from the Ettes.

Ha was just coming here to say I didn't realize Coco was in the live version of the band.

Love all the crazy backing vox on this album.

I know salivating over the Bejar songs is the cool thing to do but all my fave tracks on here are Newman songs. "Dancehall Domine" "Brill Bruisers" "Wide Eyes" "Backstairs" "Fantasy Fools" are all pretty great.

I hung out with Coco in Nashville one night because she's a friend of a friend. If you ever get the chance, I recommend it. Her default level of enthusiasm for life is 11.

xp Champions of Red Wine is better than the entirety of Neko's last album

My old band opened for the Ettes a long time ago and they all seemed like delightful people.

Coco is mad cute

I know salivating over the Bejar songs is the cool thing to do but all my fave tracks on here are Newman songs. "Dancehall Domine" "Brill Bruisers" "Wide Eyes" "Backstairs" "Fantasy Fools" are all pretty great.

― Immediate Follower (NA), Thursday, September 4, 2014 10:43 AM

I think this is the first NPs album where a Bejar track (War on the East Coast) is my favorite. I've always enjoyed his contributions - esp on Electric Version - but they've always taken a (distant) backseat to Newman's tunes for me

agree, this band has always been about newman's songs for me.

Didn't grab me on first listen, but I think that was also true of "Together," which I now kind of love. Starting listen 2 now.

yeah haters are way wrong about together. not sure how i feel about this one yet...

Title track is so good, a shame the sound on the letterman performance is poor, terrible mix and sounds a bit like monitors weren't working very well. Agree that Together is great, didn't even realize it was poorly received - what's not to like? If you like NPs that is...

Newman is the core for me too, but gotta love those Neko & Bejar songs too, such a weird combination but somehow it works great.

I think this is the first NPs album where a Bejar track (War on the East Coast) is my favorite. I've always enjoyed his contributions - esp on Electric Version - but they've always taken a (distant) backseat to Newman's tunes for me

I was working out in my yard on Sunday, and in a constant loop in my head was, "I wanted to go/home with you . . " etc. Maybe his hookiest NPs track ever, definitely in a long time. (Although I really liked "If You Can't See My Mirrors.")

There are days when Dan's songs are my favorite on their respective albums, and maybe of all time, esp. "Jackie" and "A Testament To Youth In Verse."

the Newman tracks always wind up being my favourites and this one is no different so far... "Backstairs" and "Dancehall Domine" are the standouts for me.

Yeah Backstairs is has a little darkness to it, nicely done.

took me a few weeks to really latch on, but this record is excellent.

besides insta-classic War on the East Coast the current highlights for me are Fantasy Fools, Marching Orders, Born With a Sound and Dancehall Domine. but the rest are good, too - so many have at least one really amazing part (like the "li li li" part of Champions of Red Wine). there's only one song, near the end, that feels like a bit of a chore.

is it as good as their first two? of course not. but that's an impossible and unfair bar to set. that aside, this is so solid.

for some reason, i'm relieved that i love this so much. i think i was bracing for a letdown.

pourin' one out for kurt dahle, who especially live was a vital member of this band.

i saw he's leaving but no reason. have they said?

no reason that i've seen. weird timing obv.

Glad I decided to give this one more spin last week, as it finally clicked with me. Loved "War on the East Coast" instantly, but had been resisting the rest of it since it came out. Had a very similar experience with Together in fact; is their something about how immediately pleasurable their records are that causes me to distrust them a bit at first?

grew on me too. really like the little quirky things Newman does on this one, like "Backtairs" and "Hi-Rise." And the Kathryn Calder one that's like a lost Magnetic Fields song. Usually I love the Bejar songs, but these, w/exception of "War," didn't really click (yet).

Saw them yesterday, very good show - powerful pop really! Newman's guitar sound was awesome and wow Kathryn Calder kicks ass, great vocals. This was my first NP show and was impressed by Newman's vocals too, it's always a fun experience to hear vocals you know so well in a live setting.

Unfortunately they hadn't brought any cool merch (really wanted a tshirt!), Blaine explained after the show that it was too expensive to pay merch-stand-people in Europe or something.

They played a lot of new stuff and I was reminded how much I've listened to their music - I knew all the songs more or less! I never thought of NP as a nerdy band, but seeing them on stage and looking around the audience (and at myself) I realized maybe they are.

Anyway, I saw a youtube comment nagging about the "dynamic range" of Brill Bruisers and Together, and as much as I love NP I have to agree that it sounds overcompressed to me, even live it did so maybe it's an aesthetic choice.

The song Whiteout Conditions is amazing. (Great video too). Has anyone heard the album?

OG discussion of that album here: New Pornographers and here:new New Pornographers

Kind of weird there wasn't an actual thread for it. Paradigms be shiftin'