Artist: The New Pornographers      
Album: Twin Cinema 
Label: Matador
Tracks: 14
Length: 47:55
Review by: Luke Kruse

 

 

Everyone enjoys a good pop song, right?  From Elvis to Paul McCartney to Andre 3000, we as music listeners have ascribed god-like status to mortals with the knack for giving us a catchy melody to hum along to.  Sure, much of the music in the pop spectrum is disposable fluff that appeals to the lowest common denominator; however, The New Pornographers have, through three albums, carved out a sound for themselves that manages to be incredibly infectious while maintaining artistic credibility and creativity.  So whether you listen to Top 40 Radio or are take pride in listening to music no one has ever heard of, the music on The New Pornographer’s latest album “Twin Cinema” should appeal to your listening senses.

 

The New Pornographers are a Canadian “super group” featuring songwriters A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar, and Neko Case.   Each of these artists is outstanding in their respective solo careers.  Here, they join forces to create music that is sort of a like a circus in that each of the featured members contributes something uniquely magnificent to the overall performance.  A.C. Newman is clearly the ringmaster of the New Pornographer’s circus, taking full songwriter credit for all but four the fourteen tracks and giving the album direction.  Dan Bejar is perhaps the clown, giving us obtuse but fun tracks with titles like, “Jackie, Dressed in Cobras.”  Neko Case is certainly the graceful tight rope walker, leaving the audience hushed and in awe with her lovely voice, which is featured prominently on the two ballads found on “Twin Cinema.”    

 

The album starts off with the energetic burst of the title track, and by the time the fourteen tracks have played out the listener is left in a pop-induced coma.  It might be hard to listen to “Twin Cinema” all the way through for a while, as many of these tracks just scream out for repeated listens due to the many twists and turns.  “The Bleeding Heart Show” plods along for a while, and explodes into a “Hey Jude” type climax that is one of the most wondrous musical moments of the year.  “These are the Fables” wanders around in acoustic guitar ballad territory before evolving into a foot-stomping piano-driven coda.  There are many other fun moments worth discovering on the record, but I would hate to spoil all the fun.

 

Any complaints with “Twin Cinema” are easily dismissed.  Sure, a couple tracks here are not quite as memorable as others, but even the dullest moments here are a heck of lot more exciting than anything on the new Death Cab for Cutie snoozer.  Also, the lyrics are somewhat strange and cryptic, which makes the album somewhat difficult to relate to on a personal level.  Also, this record may, in fact, best be taken in doses rather than all at once, simply because there is so much going on here aurally that sitting through this album in one sitting may be akin to eating a large pizza in one sitting.  Yes, its all good, but best appreciated before you’ve had your fill

 

For those of you waiting for the next Shins album to get your fix of intelligent but accessible songwriting, “Twin Cinema” should more than hold you over.  While it isn’t a perfect record, it is without a doubt the best pure pop record you’ll hear this year.    

 

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