whatever. half of twin cinema is just okay, plenty of great tracks on Together, title track on shut down the streets is booming.
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Friday, 27 December 2013 17:05 (ten years ago) link
ok, but i miss the more adventurous production, and the strong melodies..
― nostormo, Friday, 27 December 2013 17:07 (ten years ago) link
clearly only a poll can settle this
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Friday, 27 December 2013 17:11 (ten years ago) link
Clearly! Alright, I'll set it up.
― intimately bellowing (staggerlee), Friday, 27 December 2013 17:44 (ten years ago) link
I'm thinking: Rank the albums and are ten songs enough? Fifteen maybe? Tempted to include the 2 Newman solo records in this, as they seem so much a piece with the Newps' output (unlike the rest of the band's excursions) but am leaning against it atm.
― intimately bellowing (staggerlee), Friday, 27 December 2013 17:56 (ten years ago) link
"Tempted to include the 2 Newman solo records in this"
don't resist the temptation!
― nostormo, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
I'd vote for putting it into the full-on poll coordination thread. Minimum 20 tracks, solo Newman okay.
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Friday, 27 December 2013 18:12 (ten years ago) link
Slow Wonder is in league with their best records so, of course - out him in
― nostormo, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:14 (ten years ago) link
really? always felt like those songs were strong up until the chorus, where they sputtered on the launch-pad instead of taking-off.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:16 (ten years ago) link
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).
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:17 (ten years ago) link
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.
― clemenza, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:19 (ten years ago) link
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.
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Friday, 27 December 2013 18:22 (ten years ago) link
"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.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 27 December 2013 18:23 (ten years ago) link
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?
― intimately bellowing (staggerlee), Friday, 27 December 2013 19:13 (ten years ago) link
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.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 27 December 2013 19:30 (ten years ago) link
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.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 27 December 2013 20:39 (ten years ago) link
no wonder no one talks about Together. ca we agree it's their worst record?
― nostormo, Friday, 27 December 2013 20:55 (ten years ago) link
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.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 27 December 2013 21:17 (ten years ago) link
But I still rate Together ahead of that 2nd Newman solo record, which had, like, 1-3/4 good songs on it.
― intimately bellowing (staggerlee), Saturday, 28 December 2013 19:47 (ten years ago) link
the way the chorus in "The Electric Version" just explodes
― flappy bird, Saturday, 1 April 2017 18:18 (seven years ago) link
Same with "Blown Speakers"
― calstars, Saturday, 1 April 2017 18:21 (seven years ago) link
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.
― flappy bird, Saturday, 1 April 2017 18:25 (seven years ago) link
Favorite moment of the band is Neko screaming the chorus of "Letter"
― calstars, Saturday, 1 April 2017 18:33 (seven years ago) link
And if you haven't heard fancey's first one with the orange on the cover, you should
― calstars, Saturday, 1 April 2017 18:34 (seven years ago) link
so how's the new one?
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Saturday, 1 April 2017 19:44 (seven years ago) link
Meh
― calstars, Saturday, 1 April 2017 20:45 (seven years ago) link
uh no
not meh
― alpine static, Sunday, 2 April 2017 21:41 (seven years ago) link
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
― alpine static, Sunday, 2 April 2017 21:46 (seven years ago) link
perspective i will accept/acknowledge: it is kind of starting to sound like Carl could do this in his sleep?
― alpine static, Sunday, 2 April 2017 21:47 (seven years ago) link
yeah, carl is good but best in small doses, which is why neko and dan are missed so much
― calstars, Sunday, 2 April 2017 22:25 (seven years ago) link
thanking u alpine static for thoughtful summaryreally hated to FP u but Challengers is fantastic
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Sunday, 2 April 2017 22:39 (seven years ago) link
Which are Neko songs on the new one?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 2 April 2017 22:48 (seven years ago) link
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
― alpine static, Monday, 3 April 2017 07:04 (seven years ago) link
'face penetrate'
― sleepingbag, Monday, 3 April 2017 07:05 (seven years ago) link
hmm, that's worse than i thought
― alpine static, Monday, 3 April 2017 07:29 (seven years ago) link
New album streaming on NPR
― some sad trombone Twilight Zone shit (cryptosicko), Monday, 3 April 2017 15:22 (seven years ago) link
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...
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Monday, 3 April 2017 22:16 (seven years ago) link
Challengers is classic.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Tuesday, 4 April 2017 01:01 (seven years ago) link
yep. together is the one that is pretty much just a dud.
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 4 April 2017 01:36 (seven years ago) link
Agreed. "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" is the only keeper from that one.
― some sad trombone Twilight Zone shit (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 4 April 2017 01:51 (seven years ago) link
if i didn't love "crash years" or "up in the dark" so much i'd consider agreeing with that nonsense
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 April 2017 03:50 (seven years ago) link
otm
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 4 April 2017 04:04 (seven years ago) link
yeah
new one sounds a bit noisy on first listen - but "high ticket attractions" is awesome
― niels, Tuesday, 4 April 2017 10:43 (seven years ago) link
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.
― Lauren Schumer Donor (Phil D.), Friday, 7 April 2017 13:09 (seven years ago) link
Amen to that
― calstars, Friday, 7 April 2017 13:14 (seven years ago) link
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.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 7 April 2017 13:27 (seven years ago) link
The title track is great!
― van smack, Saturday, 8 April 2017 04:51 (seven years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/news/71162-raffi-strongly-objects-to-new-pornographers-name-ac-newman-trolls-raffi/?mbid=homepage-more-latest-and-video
― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 18 April 2017 21:56 (seven years ago) link
ac newman is kinda a giant weirdo
― Mordy, Tuesday, 18 April 2017 22:01 (seven years ago) link