Challengers

Challengers is the fourth New Pornographers album. I have all four, and I think this one is closest to matching the brilliance of their first record, Mass Romantic. It's like honey laced with whiskey--it goes down smooth, and has a strong kick.

A.C. Newman has composed most of the songs, and they flirt with different genres of pop, but mostly adhere to the kind of indie, alt-country style of rock and roll. Neko Case returns as a sometimes vocalist, and it's not surprising to me that her two songs on the record are among my two favorites. I have to say she's my favorite female vocalist working today, and I would rapturously listen to her sing the ingredients on a bottle of aspirin. Fortunately the two songs she sings--the title track and Go Places, are a bit more profound, particularly the latter, which contains the line, "A heart will always go one step too far." True!

Other songs I particularly liked are All the Old Showstoppers, which has a honky-tonk beat to it, Fail Safe, which was still running through my head when I woke up this morning, Myriad Harbor, which has a bit of funk to it, and Entering White Cecilia. I don't know what that song is about, but I imagine it is not a sequel to Simon and Garfunkel's Cecilia. At least I hope not.

The record ends with two mournful ballads, Adventures in Solitude and The Spirit of Giving, the latter having a bit of a religious air to it, mentioning both St. Christopher and Mary.

Any record with Neko Case singing on it is worth getting, but fortunately this album has a lot more to offer, and reveals the New Pornographers to be hitting on all cylinders.