― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 14:11 (twenty-one years ago) link
― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 14:35 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 14:39 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Sean Thomas (sgthomas), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 15:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Aaron A., Wednesday, 18 June 2003 02:56 (twenty-one years ago) link
Carl looks more like Howdy Doody with each passing day.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 03:56 (twenty-one years ago) link
Saw them in June, it was cool to hear Neko sing in so many of the songs. But I'm a sucker for her voice.
― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:41 (twenty years ago) link
It just came on randomly and was surprised at how much it would fit in on Mass Romantic.
― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 8 August 2005 00:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― Drooone, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 23:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― David R., Tuesday, 6 March 2007 23:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― Drooone, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 23:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― calstars, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 00:45 (seventeen years ago) link
'mass romantic' is so fucking good.
― Matt P, Wednesday, 24 September 2008 04:12 (fifteen years ago) link
Song or album? - in neither case would it be a revelatory insight, but I'm all for whimsicality.
― Freedom, Wednesday, 24 September 2008 04:20 (fifteen years ago) link
i have no insights or whimsicality, i just pulled it out the other night and it was perfect.
― Matt P, Wednesday, 24 September 2008 21:57 (fifteen years ago) link
any opinions on the new one that's out today, y'all?
― ksh, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
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
sad to hear the pit at new pornographers shows back in the day got pretty violent
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 15 May 2023 22:44 (one year ago) link
welcome to the thread!
― alpine static, Monday, 15 May 2023 23:31 (one year ago) link
They haven't quite been the same since they dropped the growling and blast beats.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 00:00 (one year ago) link
Just got out of the Vancouver show. You could tell, every time, when they were playing a song from the new album. Lack of dynamics, a turgid kinda vibe, it’s just not good. The Neko replacement, when she was singing in unison with Kathryn, sounded eerily lifelike — but of course none of the stage presence and just plain old charisma and star power of Neko. First half of the show was kinda tentative and very heavy on the new stuff. They picked up a lot toward the end, leaning more on hits (including a surprise visit from “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk”) and ofc ending with “The Bleeding Heart Show” which ejected us from the venue in the right mood. I don’t think they played anything from Brill Bruisers or Morse Codeat all. Bejar showed up and sang a few — “Myriad Harbour” and “A Testament To Youth In Verse” were great — I’m really inclined to dislike him but the song choices were spot on. There’s a new touring member, whom we dubbed “Band Camp”, didn’t catch her name, playing saxophone & keys & flute. She looked like she was terrified of making a mistake. Overall it was a careful and well constructed show, with flashes of glory — mostly concentrated in the songs from the first 4 albums. Not sad I went at all, but a very different thing than it was 20 years ago (obv to be expected).Still the best power pop band ever, fite me about it.
― The land of dreams and endless remorse (hardcore dilettante), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 07:26 (ten months ago) link
no need to fite, you are correct
if you didn't, scroll up and see the convo from May about them. i think this is just the NPs experience now.
― alpine static, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 18:28 (ten months ago) link
I saw them live in Baltimore in… 2001, I think? Still one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. But not sure if I would go today, haven’t really kept up.
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 18:56 (ten months ago) link