New Pornographers squeeze three great solo artists into one better band

ILLUSTRATION by LUKE MCGARRY

On more than one occasion I’ve likened the New Pornographers to Fleetwood Mac—not because they sound like them (or because my Mac obsession has severely crippled my frame of reference), but because the New Pornographers and Fleetwood Mac have in common a truly similar band dynamic. Where the five-member Fleetwood Mac split songwriting duties among three very distinct artists/personalities, the seven-member (sometimes eight-, sometimes six-) New Pornographers divvy songs among three even more divergent singer-songwriters: Carl Newman (aka pop master AC Newman), Dan Bejar (of the unimpeachable Destroyer) and down-home country gal Neko Case. In Fleetwood Mac, this arrangement demanded a certain amount of uncomfortable collaboration—Lindsey Buckingham assisting with Stevie Nick’s songs, Christine McVie helping out with Buckingham’s—and the result, especially on the band’s triumphant Tusk, was a super-charged, exciting collection of songs that at once could be fashioned into a brand and yet individually, broken down by songwriter, didn’t sound all that much alike. The same goes for the New Pornographers, where the ante is upped by the fact that two of the singers (Bejar and Case) aren’t full-time touring members in the band. To listen to a New Pornographers album (Electric Version remains my favorite) is to understand that the band is not a supergroup—it’s not much of a group, period. Instead, the albums translate better as mix tapes or compilation albums featuring three different people who sound damn nice bumping shoulders with one another. Like any album that remains in your rotation year after year, these records (including the latest, Challengers, out now on Matador) are stimulating and oh-so rewarding. If you haven’t done so already, take a listen and see if you hear me. And if you’re wondering: Carl Newman is C. McVie, Neko is Stevie, and Dan Bejar is totally Lindsey.

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS WITH LAVENDER DIAMOND AND OTHER GUESTS HENRY FONDA THEATER | 6126 HOLLYWOOD BLVD | LOS ANGELES 90028 | 323.464.0808 | HENRYFONDATHEATER.COM | WED-THURS 8PM | $20

Tags: dan bejar, fleetwood mac, matador, new pornographers