August 14, 2007

The New Pornographers

Challengers

8 / 10 Don’t look at pictures of The New Pornographers. If you do, you’ll think, “These guys look more likely to teach me about sedimentary limestone than write good songs.” But it would be your loss not to listen to them, as their fourth album is a staggering masterclass in indie-pop songwriting that will make your brain melt and send firecrackers around your heart. Like Arcade Fire, The Shins and The Decemberists, they’re a band that American rock blogs go loopy for, and not without reason. From the Raspberries-esque power-pop of ‘All The Old Showstoppers’ to acoustic gems like ‘Adventures In Solitude’, these are tunes Brian Wilson would have cleared room on ‘Pet Sounds’ for, each boasting spellbinding melodies and a harmonic complexity to die for. Did you really just read “a harmonic complexity to die for” in NME? Well, we did warn you they’d melt your brain.

Tim Jonze

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