The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers
Left to right: Blaine Thurier, Todd Fancey, Neko Case, Carl Newman, Kurt Dahle, Kathryn Calder, John Collins
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Indie rock, power pop
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Matador, Mint, Last Gang
Associated acts	Limblifter, Destroyer
Website	thenewpornographers.com
Members
Dan Bejar Kathryn Calder Neko Case John Collins Kurt Dahle Todd Fancey Carl Newman Blaine Thurier

The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

History

The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a solo album from one of the band's members ranked in the top 40 on the list each year.^[1] In 2007, Blender magazine ranked The New Pornographers' first album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album of all time. It is the second-highest Canadian album on the list, behind Arcade Fire's Funeral (which came in sixth).^[2] In 2009, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the band's second studio album, Electric Version, #79 in the "100 Best Albums of the Decade".^[3]

The name of the band was chosen by Carl Newman, who has said that he came up with it after watching a Japanese film called The Pornographers.^[4] Many writers have assumed that the name was a reference to Jimmy Swaggart's reputed claim that rock and roll was "the new pornography."^[5] The band has released five albums to date: Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), Challengers (2007), and Together (2010). A live album recorded on their 2006 tour is available only at concerts and on the band's website.

All of the band's original members were prominent within the Vancouver music scene prior to forming The New Pornographers. Kathryn Calder, who is also Newman's niece, joined the band in 2005 largely as a live replacement for Case, whose solo career often left her unavailable to perform with the band. Calder's first lead vocals for the band were on 2007's Challengers, singing the lead on "Failsafe" and sharing the lead with Newman on "Adventures in Solitude".^[6]

In 2009, The New Pornographers contributed a cover of the song "Hey, Snow White" to the AIDS benefit album, Dark Was the Night, produced by the Red Hot Organization.

The band released their fifth album—Together—on May 4, 2010, on Matador Records. The album includes collaborations from St. Vincent, Beirut's Zach Condon, and Okkervil River's Will Sheff.^[7]

Members

• Dan Bejar of Destroyer, Swan Lake, and Hello, Blue Roses
• Kathryn Calder, solo artist and of Immaculate Machine
• Neko Case, solo artist, also of Maow, The Corn Sisters, and Cub
• John Collins of The Evaporators and Destroyer
• Kurt Dahle of Limblifter and Age of Electric
• Todd Fancey, solo artist (as Fancey) and of Limblifter
• Carl Newman, solo artist (as A.C. Newman), also of Superconductor and Zumpano
• Blaine Thurier, independent filmmaker

Carl Newman shares the lead vocal duties with Dan Bejar, Neko Case and Kathryn Calder. The band's songs are generally written by either Newman or Bejar, and vocal responsibilities are decided once the songs are written.^[8]

Discography

Year Title Peak chart positions US [9][10] UK [11] 2000 Mass Romantic Released: November 21, 2000 Label: Mint Formats: CD, LP — — 2003 Electric Version Released: May 6, 2003 Label: Mint/Matador Formats: CD, LP 196 — 2005 Twin Cinema Released: August 23, 2005 Label: Mint/Matador Formats: CD, LP 44 — 2007 Challengers Released: August 21, 2007 Label: Matador Formats: CD, LP 34 156 2010 Together Released: May 4, 2010 Label: Matador Formats: CD, LP 18 —

Live albums Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) (2005) LIVE! (2006) LIVE from SoHo (iTunes Exclusive) (2008) Singles "Letter from an Occupant" (2002, Europe) (UK #139)[11] "Use It" (2005) "Sing Me Spanish Techno" (2005) B-side: "Graceland" "My Rights Versus Yours" (2007) "Myriad Harbour" (2007) B-sides: "Fugue State"; "Silent Systems" "The Spirit of Giving" (2007) B-sides: "Joseph, Who Understood"; "Arms of Mary/Looking at a Baby" (Chilliwack cover medley) "Your Hands (Together)" (2010) "Crash Years" (2010)

Contributions

• Queer as Folk (2000) – "Mass Romantic"
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) – "Letter from an Occupant"
• Men With Brooms (2002) – "Mass Romantic"
• FUBAR: The Album (2002) – "Your Daddy Don't Know"
• CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1 (2004) – "The Fake Headlines"
• Matador at Fifteen (2004) – "Graceland"
• Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004) - "Mass Romantic"
• The Office Season 2, episode 7, "The Client" (2005) – "Use It"
• Weeds (2005) – "The Laws Have Changed"
• Waiting... (2005) – "Electric Version"
• Gilmore Girls (2005) – "The Laws Have Changed"
• The Hour Main title theme season 3 (2006) – "Use It"
• Chuck Season 1, Episode 2, "Chuck Versus the Helicopter" (2007) – "Challengers"
• Heroes Season 2, Episode 6, "The Line" (2007) – "All for Swinging You Around"
• Rock Band (2007) – "Electric Version", "Use It", "All of the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" (DLC)
• Stone of Destiny (film) (2008) - "Mutiny, I Promise You"
• NBA Playoffs (2008) - "Use It"
• Numb3rs (2008) – "Challengers"
• Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2008) Series 2, episode 2 – "Adventures in Solitude"
• Management (2009) – "Adventures in Solitude"
• Dark Was The Night (2009) – "Hey, Snow White"
• Ugly Betty (2010) – "Adventures in Solitude"
• The Good Wife Season 2, Episode 13 (2011) – "Testament to Youth in Verse"

See also

Music of Canada portal

• Canadian rock
• List of bands from British Columbia
• Music of Vancouver

References

1. ^ "Pazz & Jop awards from". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/index.php. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
2. ^ "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums of all time, #30 - #21, from". Blender.com. 2007-11-15. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=2981. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
3. ^ "Rolling Stone lists Top 100 of decade". CBC News. 2009-12-10. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/12/10/rolling-stone-top-music-decade.html. Retrieved 2 Oct 2010. 
4. ^ Handler, Shane (2005-11-01). "The New Pornographers: Canadian Blockbuster". Glide Magazine. http://www.glidemagazine.com/Articles/47784/The-New-Pornographers:-Canadian-Blockbuster.html. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
5. ^ "New Pornographers bio from". TrouserPress.com. http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=new_pornographers. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
6. ^ "the new pornographers official website". thenewpornographers.com. unknown. http://www.thenewpornographers.com/history.html. Retrieved 2009-10-29. 
7. ^ Lindsay, Andrew (22 Feb 2010). "The New Pornographers reveal album details". Stereokill.net. http://stereokill.net/2010/02/the-new-pornographers-reveal-album-details/. Retrieved 1 Oct 2010. 
8. ^ Exclaim.ca
9. ^ "New Pornographers > Charts & Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p457597. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
10. ^ "Electric Version position". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/the-new-pornographers/electric-version/577355. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "UK Chartlog: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman". zobbel.de. http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_N.HTM. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 

External links

• Official site
• Matador Records label website