- CHRIS BUCK
- New Pornographers
Since emerging in 2000 the New Pornographers have been such a model of pop-music consistency that I’ve occasionally taken them for granted. Back in August the group released their sixth album, Brill Bruisers (Matador), but it took me a while to get around to playing it. I’ve been a huge fan since the start, but I remember thinking, “Oh, cool, a new album by them—I’ll have to find some time to listen to that.” I finally dug in last month and felt kind of stupid for depriving myself of the album’s abundant pleasures for a couple of months. Brill Bruisers is as good as anything they’ve released, and it’s certainly the most spunky and colorful they’ve sounded since Twin Cinema in 2005. The new album’s title meaningfully references the storied New York songwriting edifice Brill Building, and New Pornographers songwriters A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar are themselves a kind of mini-Brill Building force. Brill Bruisers is one of New Pornographers’ catchiest albums—with one monster hook after another on almost every song—and for me the band has now trumped all previous accomplishments on that count, which is no mean feat.
Today’s playlist:
