CD of The Week

In recent years, The New Pornographers have started to seems less supergroup than supernova. They burned brightly and beautifully in their near-perfect first three albums, only to slowly fade and fizzle afterward. 2007’s Challengers and 2010’s Together were inoffensive but indistinct, lacking either the energy (in the former) or the melodic potency (in the latter) that defined insta-classics Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema. New album Brill Bruisers sounds like an attempt to burn bright again. While it may not quite reach the group’s prime peaks, it’s refreshing to hear them trying to climb again.

This is particularly true after hearing two of the chief Pornographers–A.C. Newman and Neko Case–exploring such low, dark places in recent solo output. In fact, much of Bruiser’s beauty echoes the work of MVP Dan Bejar, whose Roxy Music recalling Destroyer effort Kaputt became one of the past decade’s defining musical statements. Sleek synths and keyboard squiggles abound here, lending the band some much missed momentum. Songs like Case-spotlight “Champions of Red Wine” and Bejar gem “War on The East Coast” glisten and glide like nothing since Cinema-tic single “Sing Me Spanish Techno.” The elevated electronics do prove to be a double-edged sword, however, with the reliance on vocoder vocal effects. By this point, it should be obvious to all involved that Neko Case’s vocals don’t need adornment of any kind.

Nevertheless, Brill Bruisers is welcome reminder that The New Pornographers still have some gas in their collective tank even after logging so many miles both together and apart. Their star is still shining, even if its light isn’t quite as blinding. Catch them here in Philly on November 20th at Union Transfer.