Fans of the New Pornographers have waited anxiously for three years, but like so many things in life, the waiting makes the reunion so much sweeter. The band will release its fifth studio album May 4, having already released a couple of its singles, ""Crash Years"" and ""Your Hands (Together).""
Carl (A.C.) Newman is the alchemist behind the gold that is the New Pornographers' latest album, Together. Newman, guitarist and singer for the grunge band Superconductor, formed this side-project band over a decade ago, mixing what might seem like incompatible ingredients. He started writing songs for what would become the New Pornographers in 1998 with Dan Bejar, the nasal-voiced tenor and cryptical lyricist for the band Destroyer. For Together, Bejar wrote and sang three of the tracks. Newman is also responsible for finding the catalyst that turned the group to gold in the incredibly versatile Neko Case, who can channel a folk troubadour one day and a pop muse the next. With the tremendous collection of talent, the New Pornographers have released a number of top-notch albums, including Twin Cinema and Electric Version.
Their latest continues this trend of excellence. This is the New Pornographers' fifth full-length album and fourth consecutive summer release. What the Beach Boys brought to summer fun in the '60s, Together captures today in this throwback to the iconic decade's power-pop.
Within seconds, Together's gracefully explosive opener leads to an inescapable inclination to bob your head to the rock cello. Together plays like a roller-coaster ride: pure joy and excitement, twisting, turning and spinning on a cool summer night. With catchy hooks, clever wordplay and layered harmonies, Together's sound will dominate summer playlists.
The New Pornographers stuffed Together with 12 terrific tracks, nine of which were written by Newman. In addition to the band's full ensemble providing the sound for each song, Together has a number of spectacular guest appearances: Beirut's Zach Condon, St. Vincent's Annie Clark, Okkervil River's Will Sheff and the Dap-Kings' horn section.
Every track on Together offers something unique. The first track, ""Moves,"" sets the classic New Pornographers mood. It features Newman's distinct falsetto voice, Neko's soothing backing vocals and a remarkably wide array of instrumentals.
Newman passes the mic to Case on the second track, ""Crash Years,"" doing so with little limitations. The band backs her engaging lead vocals with subtle piano beats, energetic strings and most charmingly, a bounty of whistling that would make Andrew Bird envious. It starts with a forceful guitar blast that sets a pattern throughout the song. Although the track lacks the band's familiar whimsy, it highlights Kurt Dahle's phenomenal drumming. ""Your Hands (Together)"" is a pop song tour de force, reigniting the band's power-pop roots, feeling more like their debut, Mass Romantic, than their more recent Challengers.
Upon inception, critics quickly tagged the New Pornographers a ""supergroup"" because of the high caliber of each member's solo careers. Although it may be the foil of many ""supergroups,"" the New Pornographers' collaboration doesn't degrade individual strengths with musical compromises; rather it welds these strengths to make something even more magnificent. The collaboration creates one terrific whole while still highlighting the specific talents each member brings.
Together harnesses Neko's powerful yet graceful voice, Bejar's bare-bones lo-fi electric folk and Newman's genius musical sensibilities to create an album, as the title suggests, together. Excluding ""Your Hands,"" the first four tracks are all sung by different vocalists, Newman (""Moves""), Case (""Crash Years""), Bejar (""Silver Jenny Dollar"") and Kathryn Calder (""Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk""). This variety keeps the album fresh, which is quite an achievement in the power-pop genre.
The album closes with a track named, perhaps in an attempt to reassure fans, ""We End Up Together,"" a fantastic finale to this brilliantly formatted album. ""We End Up Together"" calms the mood down a bit, returning to the daydream feel that made so many people fall in love with Challengers. The track contains extensive strings and all three main members singing in unison, a stunning vocal ability.
Together is the band's magnum opus and will hold at least a couple spots in New Pornographers' fans ""most played"" playlist for some time to come. To quote Bejar, Together is simply ""a playground for fun.""
