new New Pornographers
― Zeno, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:39 (fourteen years ago) link
thank u sir
― ksh, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:42 (fourteen years ago) link
i like the new disc a lot. i don't think there's a weak track, and as much as i love the new pornographers, that's an unusual feeling for me (even twin cinema had a weak patch IMO). teaming neko case/kathryn calder for vocal harmonies works wonders, in songs like if you can't see my mirrors; sweet talk; and my shepard. the interesting drum patterns and fills are back. the hooks are, too.
i guess i've said most of this before, and on the other thread. sorry for being a broken record about this record.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:47 (fourteen years ago) link
awesome review, Daniel. Twin Cinema was a record that i got on the day it came out, and i could listen to again and again, so i'm hoping this one is the same . . . i passed on the last one
― ksh, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Don't sleep on Challengers. It took me a full year to really warm to, but now it's indispensable.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:56 (fourteen years ago) link
really? i was turned off by the lukewarm response, but i really love Twin Cinema, so maybe i should go back to it
― ksh, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 19:57 (fourteen years ago) link
it's underrated. i mean, the songs do lay there more than you'd expect for this band's work, but they were following a different muse. the songs themselves were still very strong, and i liked the depth that was added when they slowed down the tempo and didn't try to cram enough hooks for five songs into one song.
having said all that, challengers is hardly my favorite new pornographers' disc.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 4 May 2010 20:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah, it's not my favorite either, but I'd be sad if it didn't exist.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 20:01 (fourteen years ago) link
my goal here is for the "New Pornographers" and "New New Pornographers" threads to sit atop the SNA page.
symmetry.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 4 May 2010 20:03 (fourteen years ago) link
mission accomplished.
:-D
― ksh, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 20:08 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8-1EPeYn3A&feature=player_embedded
― Darin, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 23:25 (fourteen years ago) link
does anyone else LOVE the first song on each NP album, and everything else is just kinda meh with a few exceptions?
― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Saturday, 30 August 2014 04:33 (ten years ago) link
New album 'Whiteout Conditions' in April. First single today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxVvtDt6ss
Cautious anticipation commence.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Friday, 27 January 2017 17:49 (seven years ago) link
thrilled that their album covers are terrible again
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Friday, 27 January 2017 17:49 (seven years ago) link
Carl Newman took over handling the band's twitter feed today, and he's spending time re-tweeting his own personal tweets and big-upping them.
― Lauren Schumer Donor (Phil D.), Friday, 27 January 2017 17:51 (seven years ago) link
Todd Fancey (guitar for NP) has a new record out today, "Love Mirage"
― calstars, Friday, 27 January 2017 17:55 (seven years ago) link
I like the album cover. Don't care for how they incorporated it into the YouTube vid.
― MarkoP, Friday, 27 January 2017 18:09 (seven years ago) link
Interesting timing on the Fancey album cover.
http://www.albumkings.com/packages/anahkiasen/illuminage/eae355e430f9ab09db94469e65430503.jpg
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 28 January 2017 06:03 (seven years ago) link
is bejar not on the new album? they're touring w/out him apparently
― Mordy, Saturday, 28 January 2017 16:26 (seven years ago) link
haven't heard either way but at this point they've toured without him way more than they've toured with him.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 28 January 2017 16:55 (seven years ago) link
When this tour was announced, I read a few articles which said he was going to be on the tour. Maybe it was just assumption? He certainly doesn't look to be on the album cover.
― winnebago taco, Sunday, 29 January 2017 16:56 (seven years ago) link
Bejar is indeed not on this album apparently
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Sunday, 29 January 2017 17:18 (seven years ago) link
decent single
― niels, Tuesday, 31 January 2017 09:53 (seven years ago) link
― call all destroyer, Saturday, January 28, 2017 11:55 AM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Here's one of my favorite "It's A Small World After All" stories. I saw the NPs on one of the Dan-less shows at the House of Blues in Cleveland. (I want to say it was on the "Challengers" tour.) Late in the show, they picked a guy out of the audience who came up on stage and they had him sing "Myriad Harbor." The guy was super-nervous, but did a great job.
Flash forward to last summer, when I went to Chicago to see the Belly reunion tour. I'm standing up near the stage chatting with some other people there, and we all get to talking about other bands we like. I mention the NPs, and one of the guys talking with me starts telling a story about when he was at a show in Cleveland and they pulled him out of the audience . . . I literally finished his sentence: "To sing 'Myriad Harbor?'" I asked if it was pre-arranged and he said, "No, I think they picked me because I'm tall, black and have a Mohawk, so I stood out." He said Carl put his hand on his shoulder and just said, "Don't worry, you're gonna do fine."
― Lauren Schumer Donor (Phil D.), Tuesday, 31 January 2017 13:28 (seven years ago) link
haha, what a great story
love 'myriad harbor'
― niels, Tuesday, 31 January 2017 13:41 (seven years ago) link
have they said no Bejar on this or do you have inside info, Simon?
― alpine static, Tuesday, 31 January 2017 21:36 (seven years ago) link
Perpetua just tweeted about there being zero Bejar on this one, and also more Neko than ever.
I am no pre-emptively considering it the great NPs album of all time.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 9 February 2017 22:46 (seven years ago) link
otm, more Neko than ever???? <3<3<3 glad i already have my ticket
― Mordy, Thursday, 9 February 2017 22:48 (seven years ago) link
Wiki also says no Bejar and all the songs are solo Newman comps.
― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 10 February 2017 06:15 (seven years ago) link
Newman talks
STEREOGUM: Dan Bejar wasn’t involved in this record. Was he just busy with Destroyer?NEWMAN: I was talking to him about what I wanted to do [with this record], and I think I told him, “I see it as being a bubblegum krautrock record.” Talking about the songs being 160BPM. He was talking to me and saying that all the songs he was writing were weird, quiet songs, and he was right in the middle of doing a Destroyer record. Which was something we’d narrowly skirted for our whole career. I’m always amazed that we managed to. Sometimes we avoided Destroyer, sometimes Destroyer avoided us, but eventually we hit at the same time. It wasn’t anything weird. We were just in Vancouver rehearsing and I’d go up and hang out with Dan. It’s not like anything’s really changed between us. It’s always the way it’s been. When we made Mass Romantic, we really didn’t know we were going to make another record. If nobody had paid attention, it’s possible we wouldn’t have, because it was hard to get that one done. When nobody’s asking for it…it’s hard to do something when you’re just doing it for yourself as a labor of love. The economics kicked in. If people wanna hear it, we’ll make it.
NEWMAN: I was talking to him about what I wanted to do [with this record], and I think I told him, “I see it as being a bubblegum krautrock record.” Talking about the songs being 160BPM. He was talking to me and saying that all the songs he was writing were weird, quiet songs, and he was right in the middle of doing a Destroyer record. Which was something we’d narrowly skirted for our whole career. I’m always amazed that we managed to. Sometimes we avoided Destroyer, sometimes Destroyer avoided us, but eventually we hit at the same time. It wasn’t anything weird. We were just in Vancouver rehearsing and I’d go up and hang out with Dan. It’s not like anything’s really changed between us. It’s always the way it’s been. When we made Mass Romantic, we really didn’t know we were going to make another record. If nobody had paid attention, it’s possible we wouldn’t have, because it was hard to get that one done. When nobody’s asking for it…it’s hard to do something when you’re just doing it for yourself as a labor of love. The economics kicked in. If people wanna hear it, we’ll make it.
― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 23 March 2017 17:51 (seven years ago) link
On the plus side, I hope this means we get a new Destroyer album later this year.
― MarkoP, Thursday, 23 March 2017 20:38 (seven years ago) link
new album is so amazing. this plus Brill Bruisers has just brought much-needed Newman-y joy back to my life after the (relative) lull (imo) of Together.
― alpine static, Tuesday, 28 March 2017 18:53 (seven years ago) link
is the new one out? i think i get a free album download w/ my concert tics
― Mordy, Tuesday, 28 March 2017 19:07 (seven years ago) link
Seeing them tonight, excited to hear them. It's a bummer that Bejar won't be around. You really feel his absence on this new record (which I enjoy), especially since he wrote the best songs on Brill Bruisers.
― passionate plant-based athlete (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 16:51 (seven years ago) link
I'm kicking myself for getting into this band just in time for Bejar to be gone. It's like XTC without Colin Moulding or Guided by Voices without Tobin Sprout.
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 17:22 (seven years ago) link
did he ever tour with them?
― niels, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:04 (seven years ago) link
bejar toured with them several times. they were a lot of fun last night tho.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:07 (seven years ago) link
I'm pretty sure he was with them the last time they played in my part of the country, hence the kicking of self.
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:15 (seven years ago) link
I saw them with Bejar, some time around 2010. He stood with his back to the audience.
― obvious, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 20:21 (seven years ago) link
Even when he sang?
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 20:47 (seven years ago) link
Yeah—I figured it was a shyness thing, but I'm not sure. If I remember right, he went off stage most of the time when he wasn't singing.
― obvious, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:15 (seven years ago) link
^^Saw the full band on the Challengers tour, and Bejar only came out for his songs, which were spread out in single shots throughout the set.
― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:18 (seven years ago) link
Wow. His place in the band is even more mysterious, then. Moulding and Sprout still played instruments in their bands when they weren't singing, i.e. almost always. I can't think of another band that works or worked like New Ps apparently did with Bejar.
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:28 (seven years ago) link
it looked to me like bejar was getting some quality drinking done between his songs
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:29 (seven years ago) link
Ha!
― calstars, Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:37 (seven years ago) link
The new album has faded.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 21:37 (seven years ago) link
The one time I saw Bejar with the New Pornographers he was drinking so much he looked like he could barely stand up for his last couple of songs. He was still singing perfectly though.
― silverfish, Thursday, 27 April 2017 13:52 (seven years ago) link
Who is the Skunk Baxter of the New Pornographers?
wait wait wait https://t.co/UuNeMqhHmX pic.twitter.com/URlrZRQrxN— Sarah Zhang (@sarahzhang) July 27, 2017
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 28 July 2017 12:59 (seven years ago) link
Haha. I'm guessing AC
― calstars, Friday, 28 July 2017 13:44 (seven years ago) link