Artist Profile- The New Pornographers
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
I don’t know what has gotten into me. For the last two weeks I have been cranking out the toon’s from everything Canadian. I don’t know if it’s me missing the Vancouver music scene or what, but one band that has been on the playlist for the last week is the New Pornographers. I mentioned them in my post about the Vancouver Indie scene, but really didn’t go to deep into about them. If that’s not a lead off then I don’t know what is. The New Pornographers hail from the Great White North, and in specific Vancouver. The band formed in 1997 and very soon after released the single “Letter from an Occupant”. The single helped to get the band exposure and landed them on Canadian Based Mint Records. The band released there debut album Mass Romantic in the later part of 2000. The album was a huge success and launched the band into the American market. This was due in part to the album featuring Indie singer-songwriter Neko Case.
In 2003 the band released their second full length album Electric Version. The second album dialed in what the first was not able to do, and featured a more Indie pop sound and what could be labeled as commercial and mainstream. The album followed with a world tour that lasted just under a year. Around this time each member starting forming there own projects and resuming the projects they had put on hold, some being Swan Lake, The Evaporators, and Destroyer. With a year break under the bands belt, the group returned to the studio to Record Twin Cinema. The album was released in August of 2005 and gave way to the single “Sing Me Spanish Techno” and “Use It”. The album peaked at 44 on the US Billboard charts. The album was backed by music video’s for almost every track on the album made by Blaine Thurier who plays synthesizer for the band. The band also released a tour only album that was properly titled LIVE!, but ended up being sold as an iTunes exclusive and on the bands website.
When touring had ended, the bands returned to there respective side projects and solo efforts. There was a notion that the band may be going on hiatus, but those rumors were put to bed when Carl Newman stated he was writing material for the yet to be released album. In August 2007 the band released their forth studio album titled Challengers. This, to date, has been there highest charting album reaching 34 on the US Billboard charts, and selling 20,000 copies in its first week. The band toured in support of the album through the end of the year, and stated that they will resume the tour in early spring. With each release, the band builds on where the last album left off. They know that writing good music is important, but also not above stripping things down and writing a good Indie pop song.
