The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are a super-group, as deserving of the tag as Vancouver — or any city across the land — is likely to produce. Take a great singer, peerless songwriter and stunning studio arranger in Carl Newman, and remove him from the complex, overwrought easy listening environment of his band, Zumpano. Add to it Dan Bejar, a/k/a Destroyer, a musician-about-town and brilliant songwriter in his own right, whose own work has established him as a reluctant hero, an underground underdog actually worthy of the spotlight he’s anxious to shun. Add a third singer in the distinct pipes of Mint’s sonic bombshell, Neko Case; a fourth voice takes the form of Limblifter drummer Kurt Dahle, who contributes from behind the kit to the backing chorus. Engineer, bassist, member of Nardwuar’s The Evaporators and Thee Goblins John Collins and keyboardist Blaine Thurier round out the line-up.