The musical evolution of the New Pornographers has been fairly predictable - until now.
The Canadian group, composed of talented musicians already accomplished in their own right, has previously put out three albums of brilliant power-pop that is both immediately accessible and addictive. While slower songs and ballads have made frequent and popular appearances in their previous work (most noticeably in 2005's "Twin Cinema") their newest release, "Challengers," is almost entirely subdued.
The New Pornographers have inaugurated a number of substantial changes with this new album.
While song lyrics remain as inscrutable as ever, the songs themselves are slower, softer and more delicate. For those who appreciated the New Pornographers for their wild, ear-drum-shattering tunes, this will not be a welcome change. There is no pop hit single to be found here. Where their previous work provided instant gratification, "Challengers" requires - and merits - repeated listens to produce a cultivated appreciation.
As if to represent the new musical phase their record represents, "Challengers" is the first New Pornographers album not to lead off with the title track. Instead, "My Rights Versus Yours" sets the tone for the album. Frontman AC Newman sings it contemplatively and sedately, making the lyrics sound deep despite their tendency to not always make coherent sense.
It is not only slower, but sparser, for the wall of sound effect heard in earlier albums is greatly diminished, allowing the individual instruments to be much more noticeable. This trend continues throughout the album.
Kurt Dahle, the group's drummer (and a founding member of Limblifter), was frequently the anchor of the most popular New Pornographer songs, but this time, Dahle's been largely reined in. Most tracks contain little of Dahle's rapid-fire, complex percussion. Instead, other instruments have come to the forefront; for example, the band makes use of mandolins, glockenspiels, tambourines and banjos. Todd Fancey, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has a much larger role in this album with a heavier use of acoustic guitars.
"Challengers" is the third track and the first featuring the entrancing vocals of Neko Case, the New Pornographer's ace in the hole. The group can do no wrong, so long as they persuade Case to sing what they write. She makes several appearances on the album, primarily as a lead vocalist, as in the triumphant and anthemic "Go Places." She also sings the somewhat disappointing "Failsafe," which, ironically, fails - both in making full use of Case's vocals and in building up to anything close to a satisfactory climax.
In other albums, Case has contributed significant back-up vocals as well, but this role has largely been filled by Kathryn Calder, Newman's niece and lead singer of Immaculate Machine. Calder appears most noticeably in the moving and poignant song "Adventures in Solitude," as well as in the album's centerpiece, "Unguided." (At six minutes 35 seconds, "Unguided" is the New Pornographer's first epic.)
No New Pornographer's album would be complete without a few contributions by the questionably sane Daniel Bejar, the talented songwriter behind bands Destroyer and Swan Lake. The closest thing to a classic New Pornographers hit single on the album is Bejar's rousing "Myriad Harbour," which serves well to comfort old fans while they adjust to the new sound.
Bejar's songs, which also include the highly sexual "Entering White Cecilia" and the lulling album closer "Spirit of Giving," sound generally as they always have, which is to say that they are full of rich and subtle vocal work, unique bluesy instrumentals, lyrics reminiscent of good modernist poetry, and just a touch of absolute straitjacket madness that makes one wonder if Daniel Bejar exists in the same world as the rest of us.
The New Pornographers will definitely lose some fans with "Challengers." It shares little with their previous work: It is not accessible; it contains few, if any, pop gems; it is slow, restrained, requires patience, and it is essentially quite easy to ignore - but don't.
The songs have been stripped down, but what is revealed resonates as a rich, deep and poignant sound. It is difficult to make comparisons between "Challengers" and the group's earlier work, but ultimately, "Challengers" will prove to be their most gratifying and enduring album yet.
