8.27.2005

Sing Me Spanish Techno (and Catchy Canadian Pop)

If there's a more fabulous release out this month than The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema, I have no idea what it might be.

Mass Romantic and Electric Version were both hard acts to follow, but TC undoubtedly fits the bill, at least as my first 10 listens suggest. I'm especially enamored of Neko Case's ever-beautiful, rich vocals in the second half of "The Bleeding Heart Show," and, more than any other track so far, the insanely infectious "Broken Beads," in which Dan Bejar sounds better than ever.

But don't just take my word for it; go to the Matador site and download one of the MP3s (or, better yet, drop $12 on the cd). I defy you to remain unmoved.

(On a related note, the band is coming to SF in late September, playing two shows at Bimbo's with Destroyer in tow, which means that there's a better than average chance that Bejar will stick around for the NP performances. This thrills me to an inordinate degree, especially as he's my latest Nonsensical Musician Crush. Plus, Bimbo's is a great space.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Saw them in DC just this past weekend. Very nice show - the crowd, alas, was far more tepid than the bands deserved. I agree with the previous poster - "Sing Me Spanish Techno" was gorgeous; the title track off the latest album and "The Laws Have Changed" were also amazingly well-done. They were obviously having a lot of fun with the extra musicians.

As far as the other bands, Destroyer was as-expected, and the Immaculate Machines are an interesting work-in-progress. Amazing drummer - not just flashy tricks, also had a lot of substance and rhythmic intricacy. Ok, and totally ripped arms and shoulders.