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The Evolving Sound Of The New Pornographers Comes To Athens
04/14/2008 The New Pornographers is a super-group, to say the least – in size and strength. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, the New Pornographers will grace Athens' Georgia Theater on April 17th. Comprised of Carl Newman, Blaine Thurier, John Collins, Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, Kurt Dahle, Todd Fancey and Neko Case, the band is known for its power-pop songs that refuse to leave your head. Their latest album, Challengers, once again reassures its audience that great song writing flows like water in the New Pornographers' camp, as does talent. Every member of the band has experienced success in other ventures besides the New Pornographers, and each plays multiple instruments for the group. Carl Newman, who started his career with groups Super Conductor and Zumprano, has managed to become well-known as a solo artist, releasing The Slow Wonder in 2004. As the master-mind behind the New Pornographers, Newman writes a lot of the material as well as helps produce it. His lyrical genius drifts smoothly from hopeful to hopelessness. John Collins has released various works with Destroyer and the Evaporators, along with Dan Bejar. Collins helps produce a lot of the New Pornographers' work as well. He has even been producer, mixer and engineer, while playing multiple instruments on a Tegan and Sara album. Dan Bejar is an established independent singer-songwriter, along with his contribution to the New Pornographers and Destroyer. He writes a lot of the New Pornigraphers' work, sharing duties with Newman. Kathryn Calder, niece of Newman, is a member of indie-pop's Immaculate Machine along with her ties to the New Pornigraphers. Kurt Dahle, drummer for the New Pornographers, has been a member of Age of Electric as well. Todd Fancey has had a solo career and been a part of Limblifter. And Blaine Thurier has ventured outside the realm of music, directing the New Pornographers' music videos as well as releasing his own films. Neko Case is a well-known as a singer-songwriter who has experienced much success through her alt-country, along with work with the New Pornographers. As this collaboration of multi-talented musicians and songwriters blend and mix themselves in a giant melting pot, beauty is the lasting result. But how do they manage their time between so many projects? “It's always a headache,” bassist John Collins said. “The band has to plan out all of the stuff in advance. All the stuff we're doing these days is arranged a month in advance, which helps a lot. It's a pain, but it's a lot easier than it used to be.” With new material, a plethora of instruments and multiple songwriters, the New Pornographers recorded in Brooklyn, NY and Vancouver. Challengers was produced by Newman, Collins, and Phil Palazzolo; the drum tracks were produced by Kurt Dahle. “It wasn't bad at all, just as long as the other records have taken,” Collins said. “I lived in Brooklyn for a couple months, we'd record all day until it was over, you know, hanging out with Carl and Phil.” The new album consists of mostly “real” instruments, unlike records in the past where many samples were used, but there are still some hidden sounds tucked away, according to Collins. The result is something that seems more mature. “We didn't exclude strings like we normally do,” Collins said. Using mostly real instruments “just happened quite naturally. It wasn't a conscious decision.” Through being together for over a decade now, the New Pornographers' sound has been able to evolve and they've become smarter in the studio, according to Collins. “When we were starting, we were trying to figure out what we were doing,” Collins said. “We rehearsed like a band, made tracks like a band, over-dubbed like crazy people, and mixed it and made it all work out. We make more careful arrangements now.” Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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Tuesday, September 07, 2010
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