The New Pornographers

You may have heard of “The Electric Version” by The New Pornographers off of the incredibly popular game, Rock Band, but if truth be told too many people have waited too long to be introduced to this wonderful product of Vancouver. As stated on their official website, “The New Pornographers formed in 1997, almost immediately recorded the classic ‘Letter From An Occupant,’ and it was on.” These truly multi-talented Canadians have since produced three more full-length albums, “… and they continue to enjoy bigger (and taller and smarter) audiences.”

Multi-talented is truly an understatement; each member of The New Pornographers contributes several musical medias to the band’s sound. A. C. Newman is in charge of vocals, guitar, piano [specializing in Wurlitzer and Casio], mandolin, percussion, melodeon, and bass. John Collins rocks the glockenspiel, mandolin, guitar, baritone guitar, bass, keyboard, and tambourine. Blaine Thurier accompanies on Fender Rhodes piano and sampler, closely related to a synthesizer. Then there’s Danny Behjar for vocals and shakers, Kathryn Calder with vocals and piano, Kurt Dahl for drums and percussion, Neko Case with vocals, and Todd Fancey on guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

A.C. Newman is credited for culminating the band’s name, claiming he was inspired by The Pornographers, a Japanese film. As creepily convenient and ironic as can be, The New Pornographers embody a Jimmy Swaggart, a pioneer televangelist, quote from when he called rock and roll “the new pornography”. One of their crazy music videos is for “Myriad Harbour” and features everything from afros sprouting various personalities to hands together in prayer from beards in this visual psychedelic depiction of going nowhere in life.

The band's first three albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual poll, and their first album Mass Romantic was ranked by Blender magazine in 2007 as the 24th best indie album of all time [never fear, Arcade Fire fans; Funerals was ranked sixth]. For a scrumptious sampling of The New Pornographer’s flowery folk-pop as well as some excellent group shots of the Vancouver gang being… well, as Canadian as photographically possible, check out: www.myspace.com/thenewpornographers