Album review: New Pornographers, 'Together'
Rating: 3 stars (out of 4)
A.C. Newman, the prime mover in Vancouver septet New Pornographers, loves classic songcraft, but he also understands that what made the music of Burt Bacharach or Jimmy Webb resonate was its eccentricity, the unexpected chord changes, the way voices and instruments could be used to color arrangements and shape mood. On “Together" (Matador), the band’s fifth album, Newman again pumps out exuberant melodies brimming with offbeat twists.
Newman makes layered power pop that rewards obsessive listening. For all the star power in his band – including Neko Case as occasional lead vocalist, and Dan Bejar of Destroyer as second-fiddle songwriter – the New Pornographers aren’t about star turns. They’re about songs.
A.C. Newman, the prime mover in Vancouver septet New Pornographers, loves classic songcraft, but he also understands that what made the music of Burt Bacharach or Jimmy Webb resonate was its eccentricity, the unexpected chord changes, the way voices and instruments could be used to color arrangements and shape mood. On “Together" (Matador), the band’s fifth album, Newman again pumps out exuberant melodies brimming with offbeat twists.
Newman makes layered power pop that rewards obsessive listening. For all the star power in his band – including Neko Case as occasional lead vocalist, and Dan Bejar of Destroyer as second-fiddle songwriter – the New Pornographers aren’t about star turns. They’re about songs.
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