"Good Job, Carl!"*

The New Pornographers
Twin Cinema (Matador)

*as quoted by Landis "Killadelphia" Knorr, PhD in concert (positive) heckling

It feels as if The New Pornographers album came out just yesterday as it still feels fresh. But in actuality it came out a little less than a month ago, meaning a blog on my hero, A. Carl Newman is long overdue. Unfortunately for you guys, you've probably been inundated with Porno press. So I will digress a long review of their new record Twin Cinema, and give it to you in easily swallowable tidbits.

First, did I mention AC Newman is a genius? Well, if I have, let me say it again. AC Newman is a genius. His natural, effortless ability to craft a melody is unparalleled in indie rock. Take "Sing Me Spanish Techno" for example. On Spoon's Gimme Fiction, the sister song for "Spanish Techno" for a lack of a better word is "Sister Jack", a mid-tempo, alterna-rock number with a simple arrangement , powered mainly by a overdriven guitar. Where "Sister Jack" comes off sounding cheese-rock a la KOIT (at least for Spoon, who I hold to very high standard), "Sing Me Spanish Techno" focuses less on the brainless guitar rhythms and lets Newman's cute, subtle melody lead the way. A person who does not try to sing along to the chorus might be considered soulless and should be ignored, when trying to talk. Newman's other delightful songs are the rollicking "Use It" and "Star Bodies", the latter featuring a splendid harmonization with the NP chanteuse Neko Case (similar to "The Laws Have Changed" and "Miss Teen Wordpower"). I can't mention Neko without using the word chanteuse. Call it a habit.

If Newman is the knight in shining armor, Dan Bejar is the wizard. Perhaps an alchemist. His bizarre voice lends well to his unique style of writing. The beauty of Bejar is that his NP contributions mesh well with Newman's, but his Destroyer songs would not fare as well. Bejar turns down his quirks to fit in, but still provides the strangest numbers on every NP album. "Jackie Dressed in Cobras" and "Broken Breads" are Bejar at his poppiest and succinct. The tracks are short and sweet and excuse my French, "don't fuck around", similar to his songs of Mass Romantic. His hushed "Streets of Fire" provides great respite from the sonically orgasmic rock that Newman provides on the rest of the record. Unlike his Electric Version contributions, Bejar is less epic, less dramatic and therefore much more in-sync with Newman's immediately gratifying hits.

Then there's Ms. Case. On every NP release, there is knee jerk reaction to bemoan that she is not used nearly enough on the album. And though that is truer than a drinking a bottle of Bud, there's just not enough space on an album to go around. When you have team of superstars, not everyone is gonna get playing time. Just appreciate what you have. Neko leads "Bones of an Idol" an steady-beated, motown-tinged, piano banger and "These Are the Fables", an interesting mix of Newman melodies and choral vocals, and again, even more piano banging. Kids love to bang them pianos these days. Uh, Hellloooooo, Spoon.

While the rest of the band remain at the top of their craft, the show can only really afford three spotlights. The exception is Kurt Dahle, whose drumming has always been stellar, but on Twin Cinema is much more pronounced. The sound is live and exciting, and if you've ever seen The New Pornographers live, I betcha a dollar, you'll find yourself sneaking more than peek at Dahle, a consummate showman.

So the big question is... does it hold a candle to Electric Version (Mass Romantic being the brilliant but uneven debut)? Hmm. I would say it is the most cohesive NP album thus far. The songs blend nicely and lays out as nice as a thanksgiving dinner spread. But Twin Cinema rarely reaches the heights Electric Version effortlessly reaches. Electric Version is an album that is nearly perfect, even if it's slightly more jagged than its follower. So in comparison, it can only hang with Electric Version only to be edged out at the finish line. But to withhold deserved accolades from Twin Cinema would be be like not giving out a silver medal at the Olympics.


Lazy fucking Canadians.

How's that for sparing you the blah blah blah?

The New Pornographers go double in the bubble at Bimbo's 9/27/05-9/28/05. If you don't pay your respects at least one of the nights, you can just suck it, jerk.

The New Pornographers: http://www.thenewpornographers.com