The New Pornographers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The New Pornographers | |
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 Left to right: Blaine Thurier, Todd Fancey, Neko Case, Carl Newman, Kurt Dahle, Kathryn Calder, John Collins
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock, power pop |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Matador, Mint, Last Gang |
| Website | www.thenewpornographers.com |
| Members | |
| Dan Bejar Kathryn Calder Neko Case John Collins Kurt Dahle Todd Fancey Carl Newman Blaine Thurier |
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The New Pornographers is a Canadian/American indie rock supergroup formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their music is often described as power pop, with some critics likening their sound to that of Cheap Trick.[1]
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[edit] Overview
Carl Newman, who writes most of the band's material, has said, "When I seriously started to try to write songs, my main influences were, like, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, and Brian Wilson. Those were the guys I kinda looked at their music and went, 'What the hell are they doing here?' I was just fascinated by the structures and the harmonics."[2] Many of Newman's own songs have a similar harmonic complexity.[3][4] For instance, the titular songs of the band's first two albums use at least six distinct major chords each, suggesting two or three different keys.[5][6] The melody of the second of those songs, "The Electric Version", begins with an arpeggiated diminished triad—a rare opening flourish for a pop song.
Newman shares the lead vocal duties with Dan Bejar and Neko Case. The band's songs are generally written by either Newman or Bejar, and vocal responsibilities are decided once the songs are written.
The band's first three albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a solo album from one of the band's members ranked in the top 40 on the list each year.[7] In 2007, Blender magazine ranked The New Pornographers' first album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album of all time. It is the second-highest Canadian album on the list, behind Arcade Fire's Funeral (which came in sixth).[8] The name of the band was chosen by Newman, who has said that he came up with it after watching a Japanese film called The Pornographers.[9] Many writers have assumed that the name was a reference to Jimmy Swaggart's reputed claim that rock and roll was "the new pornography."[10] The band has released four albums to date: Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), and Challengers (2007). A live album recorded on their 2006 tour is available only at concerts and on the band's website. In 2009, the band contributed the song "Hey, Snow White" to the compilation release Dark Was the Night. The band is "hard at work" on a new album scheduled for release in 2010.[11]
All of the band's original members were prominent within the Vancouver music scene prior to forming The New Pornographers. Kathryn Calder, who is also Newman's niece, joined the band in 2005 largely as a live replacement for Case, whose solo career often left her unavailable to perform with the band. Calder's first lead vocals for the band were on 2007's Challengers, singing the lead on "Failsafe" and sharing the lead with Newman on "Adventures in Solitude".[12]
The band is currently at work on a new album, due to be released in 2010.[13]
[edit] Members
- Dan Bejar of Destroyer and Swan Lake
- Kathryn Calder of Immaculate Machine
- Neko Case, solo artist, also of Maow and Cub
- John Collins of The Evaporators
- Kurt Dahle of Limblifter and Age of Electric
- Todd Fancey, solo artist (as Fancey) and Limblifter
- Carl Newman, solo artist (as A.C. Newman), also of Superconductor and Zumpano
- Blaine Thurier, independent filmmaker
[edit] Discography
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[edit] Live albums
[edit] Singles
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[edit] Contributions
- Queer as Folk (2000) – "Mass Romantic"
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) – "Letter from an Occupant"
- Men With Brooms (2002) – "Mass Romantic"
- FUBAR: The Album (2002) – "Your Daddy Don't Know"
- CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1 (2004) – "The Fake Headlines"
- Matador at Fifteen (2004) – "Graceland"
- Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004) - "Mass Romantic"
- The Office Episode 13: "The Client" (2005) – "Use It"
- Weeds (2005) – "The Laws Have Changed"
- Waiting... (2005) – "Electric Version"
- The Hour Main title theme season 3 (2006) – "Use It"
- Chuck Season 1, episode 2 (2007) – "Challengers"
- Heroes Season 2, episode 6 (2007) – "All for Swinging You Around"
- Rock Band (2007) – "Electric Version", "Use It", "All of the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" (DLC)
- Numb3rs (2008) – "Challengers"
- University of Phoenix television advertisement (2007) – "The Bleeding Heart Show"
- The Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2008) Series 2, episode 2 – "Adventures in Solitude"
- Gilmore Girls (2005) – "The Laws Have Changed"
- Management (2009) – "Adventures in Solitude"
- Ivy Tech Community College (2008) television advertisement – "The Laws Have Changed"[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Articles excerpted on Matador Records biography". Matadorrecords.com. http://www.matadorrecords.com/the_new_pornographers/biography.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "Coke Machine Glow interview". Cokemachineglow.com. http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/2395/ac-newman. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ October 22, 2008 by Brett Milano (2008-10-22). "Canada Calling: A Talk with Carl Newman". Rockband.com. http://www.rockband.com/zine/new_pornographers. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ New Musical Express review of Challengers
- ^ ""Mass Romantic" chords". Ultimate-guitar.com. 2003-02-06. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/n/new_pornographers/mass_romantic_crd.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ ""The Electric Version" chords". Ultimate-guitar.com. 2003-06-25. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/n/new_pornographers/the_electric_version_crd.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "Pazz & Jop awards from". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/index.php. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums of all time, #30 - #21, from". Blender.com. 2007-11-15. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=2981. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Handler, Shane (2005-11-01). "The New Pornographers: Canadian Blockbuster". Glide Magazine. http://www.glidemagazine.com/Articles/47784/The-New-Pornographers:-Canadian-Blockbuster.html. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ "New Pornographers bio from". TrouserPress.com. http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=new_pornographers. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "Band discussion forum admin posting". thenewpornographers.com. 2009-10-01. http://www.thenewpornographers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1034. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ "the new pornographers official website". thenewpornographers.com. unknown. http://www.thenewpornographers.com/history.html. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- ^ "the new pornographers official forums". thenewpornographers.com. unknown. http://www.thenewpornographers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1034. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- ^ "New Pornographers > Charts & Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=NEW. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- ^ "Electric Version position". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3049593&cdi=8000538&cid=05%2F24%2F2003. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ a b "UK Chartlog: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman". zobbel.de. http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_N.HTM. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Matador Records label website
- "Use It" artist commentary
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