|
The New Pornographers Wiki Information
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 and other pop/rock bands, mixed with garage rock. [1]
|
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS TICKETS
|
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 Bejar and 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 Voices 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.
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.
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
Discography
Year
| Title
| Peak chart positions
|
US [11] [12]
| UK [13]
|
2000
| Mass Romantic
- Released: November 21, 2000
- Label: Mint
- Formats: CD, LP
| —
| —
|
2003
| Electric Version
- Released: May 6, 2003
- Label: Mint/Matador
- Formats: CD, LP
| 196
| —
|
2005
| Twin Cinema
- Released: August 23, 2005
- Label: Matador
- Formats: CD, LP
| 44
| —
|
2007
| Challengers
- Released: August 21, 2007
- Label: Matador
- Formats: CD, LP
| 34
| 156
|
|
Live albums
- Live Session (iTunes Exclusive)
(2005)
- LIVE!
(2006)
- LIVE from SoHo (iTunes Exclusive)
(2008)
Singles
- "Letter from an Occupant" (2002, Europe) (UK #139)
- "Use It" (2005)
- "Sing Me Spanish Techno" (2005)
B-side: "Graceland"
- "My Rights Versus Yours" (2007)
- "Myriad Harbour" (2007)
B-sides: "Fugue State"; "Silent Systems"
- "The Spirit of Giving" (2007)
B-sides: "Joseph, Who Understood"; "Arms of Mary/Looking at a Baby" (Chilliwack cover medley)
|
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"
- Ivy Tech Community College (2008) television advertisement – "The Laws Have Changed"
See also
- Music of Vancouver
- List of bands from British Columbia
- List of bands from Canada
References
- Articles excerpted on Matador Records biography
- Coke Machine Glow interview
- Canada Calling: A Talk with Carl Newman
- New Musical Express review of ''Challengers''
- "Mass Romantic" chords
- "The Electric Version" chords
- Pazz & Jop awards from
- 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums of all time, #30 - #21, from
- The New Pornographers: Canadian Blockbuster
- New Pornographers bio from
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
All Wikipedia content is licensed under the GNU Free Document License or is otherwise used here in compliance with the Copyright Act
|