The New Pornographers don’t have a lot to prove. The powerhouse indie veterans have been around since 1997 and boast a catalogue of four previous albums that (aside from the most recent, Challengers) have been hailed by critics and gobbled up by indie fans everywhere. It’s with this cool confidence that the band struts into their fifth and latest album, Together. What they come out with is a record full of well-written indie pop songs that prove their status as credible indie vets that still have what it takes to hang with all the young kids of today.
There is rarely a dull moment on Together, as the band packs it full to the brim with pop gems. “Crash Years,” the album’s first single is an instantly likable track that, put back to back with “Your Hands (Together),” makes a great start. “Silver Jenny Dollar” smacks of cliche and cheeses, but is almost greater because of it, while “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk” is a respectably well-crafted song that immediately should put any doubts about The New Pornographers aside. Even through Together‘s somewhat slower middle section, there is enough interest in the songs to keep an active ear.
I’m not entirely sure what it is about The New Pornographers that is so appealing. The harmonies are beautiful, the big group band sound makes full-sounding music that doesn’t feel clustered and the lyrics play nicely against the simplistic pop writing. Really, their music is simply well-constructed. While a lot of new bands today focus on fleshing out an elaborate artistic idea, The New Pornographers just focus on the craft of song writing. Wrapped up in the cloth of pop/folk/indie rock, the songs never impress in any experimental or risky way. They instead depend on satisfying the age-old urge for well-written pop songs.
The New Pornographers – “Crash Years” [MP3]
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