Three years after the release of
Mass Romantic, the New Pornographers came up smiling again when the Vancouver supergroup's sophomore effort and Matador debut,
Electric Version was released earlier this year. This is the good kind of pop.
The Lineup:
Carl Newman
Dan Bejar
Neko Case
John Collins
Fischer Rose
Notable Songs
"The Laws Have Changed" (3:26)
Very catchy riff throughout the song combined with Neko's incredible vocals on the chorus. This song is extremely simple, yet I just can't stop listening to it. The song is almost too poppy, but it has so many catchy parts that it is ok. Plus every time I hear Neko sing I am just enthralled.
"All For Swinging You Around" (3:42)
Incredibly upbeat song. If you are in a bad mood, this song is a great pick me up. Again Neko is amazingly catchy throughout the song, and when the backup vocals come in they are perfectly harmonized. There is a short instrumental part and the song changes pace a bit with some slightly odd vocals, but then the next verse hits and it is back to the great song from the beginnning.
"Ballad Of A Comeback Kid" (3:51)
To this point the album hasn't slowed down a bit, the same up tempo happy mood continues through the first two minutes of this song. The chorus is amazingly simple, yet is very asthetically pleasing. Two minutes in the song slows down a bit for a beautiful little change of pace, but the mood is not so somber for long and the song quickly picks up again and proceeds to an amazing climax.
"Miss Teen Wordpower" (3:23)
Intro with a strange sounding organ, and male vocals. Then 35 seconds into the song the chorus hits and to this day it just blows me away. The vocals are just so **** catchy. I feel strange liking something this poppy sounding, but I can't help it. Their is a break in the middle of the song and the vocals are all over the place pitchwise, but they make perfect sense in the context of the song, and immediatlely they jump back into the chorus again. A 30 second instrumental part ends the track.
Positives
- Neko Case- Amazingly catchy, you will find yourself singing these songs
- Not a bad track on the album
Negatives
- At times can sound kind of repetitive
- Not very complex
- Almost too poppy