In Stores Now: Together by the New Pornographers

Detail of the cover illustration of The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience by R.E.L. Masters and Jean Houston, 1966

I'm not going to bother trying to be objective about this - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS HAVE A NEW ALBUM OUT AND THIS IS A REASON TO CELEBRATE! There are other bands that I like as well as the New Pornographers, but I manage to think critically about their work. A New Pornographers record, on the other hand, is a gift - the fact that these musicians have continued to collaborate long enough to release five records is nothing short of remarkable. An ensemble of top-notch performers, including two of Canada's best songwriters and possibly the best pop vocalist alive, choosing not to focus solely on their solo careers? I think this is only possible because they come from Canada, a country known for its crippling ego deficiency.

But I'll take a break from basking in the reflected glory of my Together CD (which I have in my hot little hands thanks to Matador, who sent out pre-orders almost a week early) to describe my first impressions. From the sawing "Good Vibrations"-style cello intro of the opening track, "Moves", Together proves that the New Pornographers' maestro, AC Newman, hasn't lost his power-pop touch. "Moves" has a slightly-too-thick sound to its vocals, which I blame on Will Sheff of Okkervil River - his guest vocal is an unnecessary ingredient - but the song is just shy of being a first-rate NP single like "The Laws Have Changed" or "Letter From an Occupant". The three songs that follow "Moves" - the Neko-Case-sung "Crash Years", which also features great percussive cello lines, the album's quasi-title-track "Our Hands (Together)", and Dan Bejar's "Silver Jenny Dollar" - ARE first-rate NP singles.

After this hard-driving opening sequence, Together does the right thing by varying the pace a little and adding some quieter numbers, like the ballad "My Shepherd" and the atmospheric banjo number "Valkyrie in the Roller Disco". The last three songs on the record ratchet the drama up a couple notches, ending with the album's other title track "We End Up Together", a six-minute slow-burner that brings back the sawing cello that started the record. Bandleader AC Newman is known for being consistent - to a fault, some would say - so reactions to New Pornographers records often hinge on the other contributors. I don't think I'll ever understand how some fans of the band claim to fast-forward through the Dan Bejar tracks - they are an essential part of the formula for me, and his contributions this time around are excellent. Nothing as mind-blowing as "Streets of Fire" or "Chump Change", but his songs here have a lighter touch that provide a nice contrast to Newman's increasingly dense compositions. And Neko is great as always - "Crash Years" is one of her best vocals to date, and on "My Shepherd" she manages to tug at the heartstrings the way she does on her best solo work.

The title of the record - Together - seems to be a response to the constant speculation that the New Pornographers' core lineup has to break down at some point, and the songs make a good argument for the band's solidarity. With an album this good, the fifth in an almost-flawless series, I have to hope they can take it a bit further.

"Crash Years" by the New Pornographers