Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Mass Romantic” by The New Pornographers
Music fans have a knack for being pedantic, and The New Pornographers are a band built for music fans to discuss/obsess over. Some people prefer the old stuff. Some the new. There’ve been a few lineup changes, and people all seem to have a favorite one of those too.
For anyone that’s a glutton for punishment, you won’t have to venture far into the weeds of the interwebs to find these discussions. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and when it comes to a band like this, everyone seems to want to share theirs. Over two decades and nine records, The New Pornographers have fed these debates with their knack for pairing abstract lyrics with bouncy music and addictive melodies.
Their latest, Continue As Guest, is a frontrunner for my AOTY list. I’d say that puts me on #teamnewstuff, but I’m way too much of an omnivore to commit. I like it all. “Wish Automatic Suite” closes this latest release, and it’s one of my favorites on a record packed with strong candidates.
At the other end of their discography is “Mass Romantic,” the opener from their debut album of the same name. In 2000, there was no internet—at least not in its current form, anyway. Word of mouth came in the form of friends showing up with a copy, the guy at your favorite record store with a talent for knowing what you’d like before you did, or sounds coming out of the dorm room down the hall.
Regardless of what side of these debates you might be on, it’s hard to argue the track's catchiness. It wastes zero time getting into your head and making itself right at home- no algorithm required. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming the melody a few days later, even if you still have no idea what the actual words are.
Continue As Guest might be the record that lets them level up past “your favorite band’s favorite band” purgatory. I hope so. After 23 years, it’s warranted.
And it all started with this track.
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In ways, The New Pornographers equal the embarrassment of any bad 90s UK band. Their hyper-charged sound is of huge, circus-like proportions. Their lyrics are as ridiculous and melodramatic as they are witty. The production is absurdly clean, layered to death with sweet guitars and confectioner's multitracked vocals. But what really gets me is, I'm deeply immersed in an intensely passionate affair with Mass Romantic, to the point where my pleasure no longer feels guilty; it's ecstatic.
Click here to read the rest of the review.
Listen:
“Mass Romantic” by The New Pornographers | Mass Romantic, 2000
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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I was at their first show ever opening for a band called the Beekeepers at a little pub in downtown Vancouver. It was my 28th birthday and I had no idea who they were, only that Carl had been in a semi famous local band called Superconductor . I had already heard Destroyer's ' City Of Daughters' on the recomendation of a guy who wrote for an awesome weekly called Terminal City that was around back then and I loved the acid folkiness of it. I've been a huge fan of Destoyer as well ever since, seen them live many times all over. I'm sure others have similar stories but I also remember meeting Dan on Granville St right when they were finishing up Mass Romantic and him telling me about this "supergroup" he was in and how they had just finished up the album. When Mass Romantic came out my girlfriend and I must've listened to it all summer. I've seen them live many times but those early shows were so ecstatic. After all these years one of my favourite songs of all time remains 'Execution Day'. My band even did a cover of it back in the day. I no longer live in Vancouver like a lot of the band but my daughter who's grown now loves them and this album as much as I did back then. I'm a fan of their other records but they say your first love always stays with you. I saw them perform in Peterborough ON last summer all stripped down and it was like some sort of weird family reunion. Young people were dancing and having a good time. Brought back a lot of memories.
New Pornographers and A.C. Newman solo albums were all top tier for me in the 00s . "Electric Version", "Twin Cinema", and the first two A.C. Newman especially. You've inspired me to listen to the new NP album again. I already know for sure that I like it, but I didn't spend enough time with it to figure out how much. Also, I though Newman's band before NP was Zumpano. I've never heard Superconductor per fellow traveler below. Will have to look into them.