The little super group that could, The New Pornographers are an odd ball mix of Canadian crooners and a red headed Virginian who can out drink any lumberjack while being as sincere as June Carter. They take their sound straight out Cheap Trick's How To Rock And Pop at the Same Time and add some Beach Boy spice in for good measure. Delish.
Together is the band's first effort since 2007's off kilter Challenges and finds them reclaiming their so-effortless-it-hurts melodies as well as a new found joy for putting some "rawk power" underneath their glittery vocal tendencies.
Take "Moves", the album's opening track, for example. It's catchy, light hearted, playful and fun. Yet there's a crunch there that never existed before. It's just enough to add something new to the equation to make Together a surprisingly worth while affair - even if it does run out of steam by the end.
Yet there is only enough here appease New Porno fans of old. Chances are if you own their impossible to find debut album Mass Romantic, then this one will be right up your ally. It's the band's most cohesive set of songs in a decade and comes filled to the brim with things we've all come to expect from Neko Case and crew: Heavy on the harmonies, catchy on the choruses, incredibly front loaded, pointlessly fun and (semi) disposable.
Grade: B-
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