Review: The New Pornographers – Together

May 5th, 2010 by John / Comment on this post

The New Pornographers have proven themselves time and again as masters in crafting ridiculously catchy power pop. Together can be seen as “just another New Pornographers album” because, really, it is. It doesn’t change their style much, which in this case, is kind of a good thing. They already had a well defined sound with interesting vocals and instrumentation that is just plain fun to listen to. Though their last album, Challengers, was somewhat of a step towards more mellow territory, Together brings things back to the upbeat, poppy sound of their earlier albums.

Together features some notable musicians in addition to the New Pornographers regulars. Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), Zach Condon (of Beirut fame), Will Sheff (from Okkervil River), and The Dap-Kings Horns all make appearances. While it’s neat that there are so many talented people working on a single album, these additions don’t add a very noticeable difference to the sound of the music compared to the other New Pornos albums. It feels a bit like a squandered opportunity, given the amount of hype built up around the inclusion of these indie rock stars.

This is a very solid album with a few exceptional tracks. If you’re already a fan of The New Pornographers, you’ll be pleased with many of the new songs, but if you somehow don’t like them, this isn’t going to change your mind. Either way, you should check out “Your Hands (Together)” and “My Shepard.” The former is a great pop song while the latter is rather moving thanks in no small part to Neko Case’s gorgeous vocals.

This album contains some great music, but it might not be enough to separate itself from the rest of this year’s releases, or even from the band’s excellent catalog. It speaks volumes about the quality of some of the music released this year that Together may get lost in the shuffle of albums released in 2010.