JennJoy's Full Review: Electric Version by The New Pornographers
When I picked up The New Pornographers' debut album Mass Romantic it was based on my love of the title song which featured Neko Case on vocals. I ended up feeling somewhat ho-hum about the album as a whole because most of the rest of the tracks didn’t feature Neko as prominently (or at all) and I felt as though the band spent most of their energy on that one song. Still, the Pornographers definitely create some of the best indie-pop out there at the moment and I could see why people were raving about the album even if it didn’t have quite the same effect on me. If you want more info about Mass Romantic or background on the band, check it out here.
Even with my reservations about Mass Romantic I figured I’d take a gamble with their 2003 release Electric Version. Again, I heard one of the tracks, The Laws Have Changed, before the rest of the album and was immediately smitten. It’s very much in the same vein as the Pornographers’ debut title track – upbeat, catchy as hell, and Neko’s beautiful voice is prominent. She splits vocal duties here, but hearing her sing "introducing for the first time, pharaoh on the microphone" gets me every time. With great vocals, lyrics and guitar hooks, this is exactly what good pop music should sound like.
Miss Teen Wordpower is very much in the same vein, but with the addition of more noticeable keyboards which give the track an 80’s feel. All For Swinging Around You and It's Only Divine Right kick the rock vibe up a bit with heavier guitar, while still maintaining their likeability and accessibility. The New Face of Zero and One starts out with some funky barebones percussion before picking up the pace with some lovely, chunky guitar work that works wonderfully with the song's vocals.
I have to agree with Nate's review, a lot of the lyrics on the album are indecipherable and I do wish they had put the lyrics in the liner notes. This is a pretty small beef though for thirteen great indie-pop songs. I ended up enjoying Electric Version quite a bit more than Mass Romantic - mainly I think because Neko Case picks up a bit more of the vocal duties here and her voice seems to be what sets the New Pornographers apart from other bands doing similar things. It also makes me think I should give Mass Romantic another thorough listen to see if my thoughts on that one have changed at all.
The New Pornographers are the answer for people looking for good pop music that isn’t over-produced, gimmicky, or cheesy Top 40 junk. Neko Case fans should pick this up just to hear some of the non-alt.country stuff she can do –it would be worth purchasing for that alone. Rock fans who find they occasionally enjoying so outright pop music will probably find something to like here as well. Electric Version is easily one of the best indie-pop albums to come around in quite awhile and is the perfect pick-me-up when only upbeat happy music will do.
Track List:
1. The Electric Version
2. From Blown Speakers
3. The Laws Have Changed
4. The End of Medicine
5. Loose Translation
6. Chump Change
7. All for Swinging You Around
8. The New Face of Zero and One
9. Testament to Youth in Verse
10. It's Only Divine Right
11. Ballad of a Comeback Kid
12. July Jones
13. Miss Teen Wordpower
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