The New Pornographers: Challengers

We picked up the latest New Pornographers CD, Challengers, and listened to it on a drive to LA a couple weekends ago. My initial reaction: utter disappointment.

Musicianship? Check. Rich vocal harmonies? Yep, plenty of those. Still, something was missing. What happened to the intoxicating hooks that had saturated Twin Cinema?

On second listen, I began to pick out little differences here and there. Without the monster hooks, I had to dig deeper as a listener. This would require more finesse and subtlety than, say, identifying the seasons in Maine. This would require my attention.

I’m still not entirely sure of the album, but it’s growing on me. There are some clever melodies — notably in the second track, “All the Old Showstoppers,” and the fifth track, “All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth.” Ambitious stuff, very Brian Wilson.

After several listens, I still find myself having three complaints:

1. The album didn’t grab me right away. I gave it additional listens because I adored Twin Cinema and wanted to like its successor; not everyone will be so patient.
2. There isn’t enough variation in tempos for my taste. Part of what makes Twin Cinema so brilliant is the effortless movement between introspection and hard-charging energy. The album takes the listener on a ride that goes many places. Challengers seems to be stuck in one place much of the time.
3. Dan Bejar’s pieces lack the strength to overcome his vocal idiosyncrasies (my original word was “shortcomings” but that might not be fair). It’s possible that Bejar spoiled me on Twin Cinema with “Streets of Fire” and the sublime “Jackie, Dressed in Cobras.” Whatever the case, his tunes on Challengers just grate and I find myself skipping them altogether.

There is movement here, an attempt to reach beyond past successes. I imagine it would have been easy to regurgitate the formula that made Twin Cinema so brilliant. Kudos to Carl Newman and company for trying something different.

Challengers strikes me less as a destination, and more as a point along the way. If the album has failed (and I’m not sure that it has), then at least it’s not for lack of effort on the part of the people who built it. For this reason, The New Pornographers will continue to command my attention and receive my support. They are capable of reaching great heights, and have demonstrated a willingness to do so. Can anyone ask for more from an artist?

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