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- Mass Romantic (2000)
- Electric Version (2003)
- Twin Cinema (2005)
Mass Romantic (2000)
8
Mass Romantic / The Fake Headlines / The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism / Mystery Hours / Jackie / Letter from an Occupant / To Wild Homes / The Body Says No / Execution Day / Centre for Holy Wars / The Mary Martin Show / Breakin’ the Law
An
album that I discovered about three years too late, The New Pornographers’
Mass Romantic is one of the most unashamedly fun albums
I have recently heard. Boasting members from several ‘seminal’
Canadian bands (Limblifter, Destroyer, Zumpano, anyone?), and – on a
handful of tracks – irressistible alt country-chanteuse Neko Case, the
quintet churns out an unholy and infectious brand of hook-heavy power pop
that situates itself somewhere between The Cars (the hooks), The Beach Boys
(the harmonies and sunshine), and the bouncier Britpop bands of the previous
decade (glam-kitsch). Like Weezer, they employ sugary melodies and a ridiculously
slick production (although the Pornographers’ production is much more
detailed and layered with loads of weird keyboards and vocal harmonies), but
whereas Weezer’s sound often drags a bit under the weight of the samey
grunge guitars, these guys keep things deliberately light-weight and bouncy
from start till finish. The start, “Mass Romantic,” immediately
sets the tone, and it’s definitely one of the most thrilling songs I
had heard in a long while (I guess I played it a dozen times before it got
to the next song). It has a great melody, infectious musicianship, an unstoppable,
100%-adrenaline drive, and, above all, it benefits from a great performance
by Case, who comes up with a performance that’s both charmingly girlish
and sexy as ……….. (choose any name or body part).
The other song with lead vocals by Case, “Letter from an Occupant” is – if possible – even better, a new wave-ish pop gem, with slightly jerky riffs, an ecstatic chorus and hilariously over-the-top falsetto backing vocals. Elsewhere, the band somehow refers to the quirky circus-pop of Split Enz (“The Mary Martin Show”), the neo-glam-rock of Supergrass (“The Slow Descent into Alcoholism”), and the angular wave of the (early) dB’s and Devo (“Mystery Hours,” “Execution Day”). The fact that it reminds of so many other bands isn’t meant as critique here, as the band really delivers a very coherent and utterly homogenous whole, that isn’t afraid to reveal its debts to pop history. In fact, it’s really exciting to hear the band toying around with acoustic verses that make way for grand glam chords (“The Fake Headlines”), piano-based pop that reminds of Robyn Hitchcock’s better moments (“Jackie,” “To Wild Homes”). In a way, the band also reminds me of the meticulously produced albums by a few Elephant 6 bands (The Apples in Stereo, Beulah), but it’s not as heavily reliable on The Beach Boys and The Zombies, and prefers a more edgy late 70’s-early 80’s sound, but without sounding fake. Right at this time (March 2003), the band’s also supposed to release its sophomore effort, and that will be the one to look out for, because there only seems to be one thing that ‘bothers’ me about the album, and I’m curious how that evolves: the album sounds great, and the song-writing is top-notch, but somehow it seems to lack a certain … uh … emotional direction, as on the one hand it’s not weird enough to be just a post-modern inspired genre exercise, and on the other hand too playful and arbitrary to be an album that has a sense of purpose. I don’t know if this makes any sense, but the entire album seems a bit infested with a “we-artsy-musicians-can-do-pop-as-well”-atmosphere, that makes it lose some of its appeal (just a tiny bit). But, like I suggested, I could be wrong about that, and the bottom line is that Mass Romantic (the album and the brilliant title track) will guarantee you hours of listening and singing pleasure. Can’t apply that statement to that many current albums, can you? (if convinced otherwise, send examples to guy@guypetersreviews.com)
Electric Version (2003)
7.5
The Electric Version / From Blown Speakers / The Laws Have Changed / The End of Medicine / Loose Translation / Chump Change / All for Swinging You Around / The New Face of Zero and One / Testament to Youth in Verse / It’s Only Divine Right / Ballad of a Comeback Kid / July Jones / Miss Teen Wordpower
The
statement I’m about to make will go down as the most moronic remark
in the history of this little superfluous website, even though I’ve
pondered over it for 4-5 months. Watch out, here it comes:
Electric Version by The New Pornographers is too catchy.
It’s just too poppy, infectious, contagious, melodic and thrilling on most days. When my mind seems to be blank, playing this album can be a great solution, because if music were fluid, Electric Version would be a bottle of pure summer. It’s sheer sunshine, heart-warming and puts you in a mood if you’re up for “The Cars² + The Beach Boys² + Gary Glitter²”, but on an average day, the overwhelming amount of hooks, vocals layers, keyboard-embellishments and drum fills can be downright annoying. AND ON A BAD DAY IT GIVES ME A HEADACHE !!! Really, come on, I mean, how many hooks can a man take? Like I argued before in a review of the debut by Belgian freak-rockers The Evil Superstars, it’s not always necessary to put all your ideas in a product. It’s allowed of course, but I for one wouldn’t recommend it.
On the other hand: if you’re looking for a gigantic dose of feel-good music, if you need your aural fix or want to pretend you’re in California - even though you’re buried beneath two meters of snow in the Gulag Archipelago - THIS is EXACTLY what you’re looking for, this is the “10” that’ll fulfil your cherry-blossom dreams. It’s the poppiest release I have ever heard, it relegates Paul McCartney to the Will Oldham/Lou Reed/Leonard Cohen-league. As for the songs, it’s not easy to describe them to people not familiar with the band and it’s certainly not easy to distinguish them from each other with words, since most of these songs could be described similarly: “Wow, unexpected melodic turns, baffling vocal harmonies between Goddess Neko Case and Carl Newman, while guitars tease and please, keyboards deliver lines they picked up from alien broadcasts and the drummer’s usually way too busy.” However, the highlight of the bursting-with-ideas-songs is probably “The Laws Have Changed,” which has hooks you just can’t get out of your head, despite several lobotomies. Those sudden falsetto-vocals after 72 seconds are pure pop bliss and that simple melody that lies at the basis of this song is bad-ass, but even a two year-old will acknowledge that the band’s secret weapon is Neko Case. When she leaves her mark, she does it with style, with terrific melodic lines and the right amount of energy. The album’s so crammed with “Ooohs” & “Aaahs,” that the few tracks that offer something simpler, more straightforward, come as a relief (that’s why the title track on the debut was so great: it combined the abundance of melodies with a simple, punk-ish drive that’s absent from this album): the swift “All for Swinging You Around” and the ‘80’s wave-tribute “Testament to Youth in Verse” finally give the listener some time to breath and recuperate. Another “problem” with this jam-packed album: it implies that you’ll have some déjà-vûs during the ride (“July Jones” reminded me of “From Blown Speakers” and also “Miss Teen Wordpower” reminded me of something I’d heard before), although you might already be beaten to pulp after a few songs. In the end, I guess it all depends on your expectations and preferences: I bet some people consider it a God-given treat (and it’s understandable why), but if you’re like me, you’ll consume it in smaller doses, only a few songs at a time. That’s why I like AC/DC that much I guess.
Twin Cinema (2005)
8
Twin Cinema / The Bones of an Idol / Use It / The Bleeding Heart Show / Jackie, Dressed in Cobras / The Jessica Numbers / These Are the Fables / Sing Me Spanish Techno / Falling Through Your Clothes / Broken Beads / Three or Four / Star Bodies / Streets of Fire / Stacked Crooked
If
they'd been better editors of themselves, Twin Cinema would've been
the most impressive album The New Pornographers have yet released. It's already
become my favorite in the meantime, but its quality-loaded first half and
length (fourteen songs by this band equals double that amount by most others),
again prevented the band from coming up with that stunning, timeless magnum
opus. The trouble with the Pornographers and me is that I can only value
them instinctively and intuitively (hence, the total lack of value of these
reviews) and it's really, really hard to put my finger on why I like one song
better than the next and the debut album more than Electric Version.
I babbled about the sophomore effort's relentlessly baroque approach and I
still stand by that assessment, but of course these guys (and girl) have never
been about a humble approach. It's about pulling out ALL the stops, drowning
the listener in a huge river of hooks, hooks, hooks, about putting layer upon
layer upon layer and presenting it in a muscular but extremely polished form.
Mass Romantic and Electric Version are creative, immensely generous
albums, but with each listen, their smartness, density and self-conscious
approach started to become more and more irritating. Mass Romantic
soon became a could've-been-classic marred by a self-conscious attitude that
seemed to favour style over substance and a technical perfection that suggested
these guys were making music because they were outstanding craftsmen whose
hobby accidentally turned into a profession. It seemed as if they were attracted
by the possibility of making music, and not by the need, the conviction
that this was what they were best at. Still, its rock-oriented drive usually
made me forget about that. Electric Version didn't though. With each
additional listen, irritation about its almost complete lack of humanity ("Jesus,
will you settle down for a while and stop the mass-production of hooks, please?")
turned into annoyance which finally made me put the album in the CD-case and
almost forget about it.
Things went differently with Twin Cinema. The other way around even. The first few listens didn't do much, didn't leave any particular impression, almost bored me. But then one song clicked, and another and a few more, and so this humblest, least victorious of all their albums became increasingly interesting and finally managed to charm me. If it weren't for some ballast on the album's second half, this could've been an album to treasure. As it happens, the first album half is a 7-song trip that won't have too much competition this year, especially in the pop-league. Even though the exuberant musicianship and Newman's almost hysteric vocals suggest they're still today's most successful glam-pop advocates, there's a more restrained, live quality to the music and its sound that makes it less overbearing. The piano hammering, the grand blossoming halfway, the bursts of delirious ecstasy… I can deal with it all! From then onwards, it becomes clear that Twin Cinema is not only the most humble (sonically speaking) of their albums, but also their most diverse, as they turn to ways of expression previously not even hinted at. "The Bones of an Idol" quickly transforms from a Case-sung lullaby to a bouncy pop-tune, but it is low-key by this band's standard, just like the other tune that's carried by that golden voice, "These Are the Fables." Even though that song also transforms from a gentle acoustic balled to an almost Broadway-styled (can't you see the children jumping on stage right after each "MY STREET"?), it's Neko's perfect approach that turns it into something completely new on a Pornographers album.
Despite my fear of outrageous pop music, the album's epicentre of quality is to be found in the ridiculously bouncy attack of "Use It" and "The Bleeding Heart Show." No band ever had a right to become this catchy and get away with it. While the former crashes out of the gate with a simple, muscular glam-groove and feel good-harmonies that almost turn the Beach Boys into rainy day-prophets, it's the more patient "The Bleeding Heart Show" that steals the show, by taking its time to gradually build up (floor tom thumps! acoustic strumming! Newman versus Case used to great effect!) to a plateau from where it can be launched into a victorious tribal chant, a life-affirming boost driven by big drums, harmonies and a wonderful melody. Without any doubt, it's one of the best songs they've ever done. The swaying rock of "The Jessica Numbers" and the tripping-over-itself trot of Bejar's "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras" aren't a match for the album's highlight, but very few songs would be. Regrettably, this stellar quality level isn't kept up, as the second half (and the first few songs of it in particular) usually havs a hard time trying to keep this boy's attention. "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Falling Through Your Clothes" and "Broken Beads" (Bejar's second contribution) would perhaps be good enough for another band, but here they only remind me that also the Pornographers comfortably settle in the automatic-mode once in a while, and also: I still don't have a fucking clue what they're talking about. The excellence is picked up again towards the end of the album - with the jittery pop of "Star Bodies" and album closer "Stacked Crooked" in particular -, but if you're like me, you're already wondering why they didn't cut it down to a mere 10-11 songs, as Bejar's third cut ("Streets of Fire") and the silly Casio-pop of "Three or Four" ultimately lack conviction and presence. Still, very few bands make albums like Twin Cinema nowadays, and to a large degree they managed to repackage their abundance of ideas and hooks into their most likeable album yet.
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: Weezer - Jonny Polonsky