Album Review: The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema

Grade: A | Genre: Electro-Pop

Summary: Twin Cinema is totally self conscious free pop, that is challenging and piles on the layers of sound, creating a enticing buffet for the listener to slowly strip away.

Is there a musical scene more on fire right now than the Montreal scene? After spending years profusely apologizing for setting Bryan Adams and Celien Dion loose on the world, Canada is showcasing some of the best up-and-coming indie talent from this powerhouse featuring the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Wolf Parade (review coming at the end of the month), and their Vancouver neighbors the New Pornographers. The Pornographers are a nine-member ensemble (yes that’s a few more than their previous outings) that utilizes those stray extra members to give us a big sound filled with quirk and blessed intrigue. These musical purveyors bring us their most ambitious effort to date in the sparkling Twin Cinema.

The New Pornographers have released two albums to date (Electronic Version and Mass Romantic) that resonated with college radio DJs, and those whose music tastes were a bit askew, but never really made further strides to ferreting out a base beyond their cult following. Twin Cinema looks to change all that. With the progress made by bands like Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins and the Arcade Fire, popular radio is finally starting to realize the gems that are sitting right under their nose, giving them their well deserved airtime. For those who haven’t had the pleasure yet of imbibing this rich sound, the racy named New Pornographers frame a unique musical Polaroid all their own that seems to mesh bands like the electro pop of Death Cab with the more eccentric pop styling of the zany Beautiful South, or the Housemartins for the real old school cats out there.

First, I must issue a stern note of caution. This isn’t the skippy, manically happy band that they were circa Electronic Version. That isn’t to say they’ve become all maudlin and started dressing up like the Cure or anything. Twin Cinema presents a more introspective sound with darker edges that seem to be the occasional cloud that floats in front of their sunny disposition. The deeper, more reflective Pornographers suits them quite well as they heap additional layers and complexities previously only hinted at through their more one track sound.

The title track “Twin Cinema” presents us with the most easily digestible tune for the radio audiences. It is more of a throwback to the carefree, jingle jangle of Electronic Version and proves a solid opening track to help with the transition on your iPod. We are quickly introduced to the new New Pornographers. It’s the treasure chest of toys at the dentist’s office, chocked full of vibrant melodies. “Jackie Dressed in Cobras” snakes out to mesmerize you with the steady sway of its careful beats that would have you believe they were tossed together on a moment’s impulse. Put that beside the goofy little ditty “Streets of Fire” that is so syrupy sweet you get a sugar headache just listening to it. Once it builds, lassoing a hold of you, this sing-a-long melody burns its notes into you.

“Use It” sounds like it should be the opening theme for a really cool late-70’s television show. It comes fully equipped with a wickedly addicting beat, superb vocal harmonies all dripping with lickable fun. Probably the most striking moment of the album is the deeply methodic “Falling Through Your Clothes.” It begins on a very ominous tone of soft guitars and this haunted vocal presence. Then the guitars couple up with the drums to softly crescendo to form this piercing beam of light cutting through the dour piece. The stark contrasting elements really create a fascinating effect. “Stacked Crooked” seems to be the perfect closer to this multi-faceted album. It’s a melting pot of dueling vocal harmonies, crazy free flowing horns suffused over decadent retro beats. This is the new Age of Aquarius.

I have zero hesitation calling this one of the best albums of the year. It is ambitious pop that scraps their comfort zone and continues to explore the outer reaches of their complex arrangement of sound. There really aren’t any dud tracks that can be overlooked. They all express a unique personality that keeps you on your toes, guessing what our clever Pornographers are going to morph into next. This album is definitely a slow burner. I’ve been putting off writing it up for weeks now because I could tell there was more to it that what I was hearing on the surface. Each new listen unlocks hidden sonic gaps that take the Windex to this overwhelming clutter of sound, opening up fresh ways of seeing these songs. Twin Cinema is totally self conscious free pop, that is challenging and piles on the layers of sound, creating a enticing buffet for the listener to slowly strip away.

Release Date: August 23, 2005
Image Courtesy of Matador Records