Tuesday, June 19, 2007



Listen, I like A.C. Newman and all, but I'll be honest in saying that Neko Case was my initial inspiration in giving The New Pornographers a listen when Mass Romantic came out years ago. I could write endless paragraphs on my love for Neko and her smokey, intense voice that just cuts into you and sits in the middle of your chest, anchoring the world around itself. But instead, I'll give The New Pornographers a little credit because not only do they have a new album, Challengers, coming out 21 August, but they're really, really good.

If you order the album early via buyearlygetnow.com, you can pretty much do what the URL says-- pay now and get a live webstream of the entire album immediately. Instant gratification is great, but so is mp3 gratification-- some savvy blogger made a webrip right away. Can't say we didn't see it coming!

The album is fantastic-- full of lots of upbeat rock numbers with just enough variation (read: slower ballad-like songs, which happen to be sung primarily by Neko) to make it cohesive and--yes, pun completely intended-- challenging. Buy the album because it's a nice thing to do. Listen to it a lot. And for those of you as nuts about Neko Case as I am, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

The New Pornographers - Challengers
The New Pornographers - Go Places