So, if you pay attention to the little do-dad I have in the sidebar over to your right, you'll notice that I've been listening to A.C. Newman's new album Get Guilty pretty much non-stop lately. Newman's best known for being the ringleader of the "Supergroup" The New Pornographers, who are probably one of my favorite active bands. Though I've generally enjoyed his song-writing and singing for that band, I was left a tad cold by his first solo effort, it just felt (for lack of a better term) thin. However his new record is a lot more like his work with the 'Pornos, more orchestrated with much more complicated arrangements. However, it's just not as lush as the Pornographers stuff. That's not a criticism, it gives the work a certain, almost lo-fi charm, as if it was all hashed out in his garage (though it's obiously very produced). Essentially it feels like a New Pornographers' record, minus the influence of his collaborators in that band (Dan Bejar, Neko Case, Todd Fancey, etc.) and it comes out very well.Anway, since I'm kinda crap at talking about music, here's one of my favorite tracks:
A.C. Newman - The Collected Works
This album is available at eMusic, a service that I wholly endorse as a way of downloading very good music for a very low cost.
1 comment:
Ya know...I'll agree that Newman's second solo offering is better than his first but I just can't figure out why these two albums fail to impress me. You'd think he'd know the right buttons to push, especially being the ringleader of the New Pornos and all, but he always seems to be a bit off the mark.
I know I've asked you this but have you heard the 2 Zumpano albums? If not, I'll burn 'em and send them your way. Great stuff.
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