The New Pornographers - Bill Bruisers

Bill Bruisers
The New Pornographers
Tiger Rating: 7.5 / 10
Indie / Chamber Pop

It doesn't really get more indie than The New Pornographers. They've been a staple on the scene for fourteen years and in that time have carved a name and style that is unlike any other. They've been a tangle of fresh and sometimes convoluted ideas, but have always delivered, somehow managing to streamline inspiration into very high quality, lovingly crafted and memorable albums.

'Bill Bruisers' joins their previous albums with joyful abandon. It's a bunch of kids on a sugar rush. Colourful, joyful, layered and hyper, it picks you up from track one on an only slightly varying electric ride of celebration through a vaguely 80's reminiscent landscape. It's not New Wave, it's too upbeat to be rock and the lyrics are nowhere near sexy enough to be pop, but it is what it is and what it is is great. 'Marching Orders' asserts that "Hey - we can't make this stuff up, but then what else would we make?". It's a subtle wink possibly to the band's creative process and is one of the many tracks drenched in self awareness. But then that's kind of their thing anyway.
'Another Drug Deal of the Heart' has all the naive sweetness of previous gems like 'Adventures In Solitude', except this time with a vaguely Bruce Springsteen / Cougar Mellencamp vibe. At only 1:28 in length it would ordinarily be a throwaway track, but it melds perfectly with 'Born With a Sound'.  One track melts into another with none of the appeal or freshness waning.

My only reservation with this album is it's level of precociousness that sometimes sees them singing math equations and at others quoting poetry. It just seems out of place on an otherwise syrupy sweet, just-for-fun album. Like trying too hard. Also it's a little overstuffed. The tracks 'Spidyr' and 'High Rise' are a bit unnecessary as they add nothing more to album and only serve to break the  otherwise lolloping pace.
All in all though The New Pornographers remain the parents of modern indie pop and new bands like The Naked and Famous owe them a lot.
Not a classic album and possibly prone to staleness in a few years, but right now it's enchanting and flavoursome. So enjoy. Tomorrow will worry about itself.
WVS