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, psychedelic rock |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Matador, Mint, Last Gang |
| Associated acts | Pretty Girls Make Graves, Destroyer, AC Newman, Limblifter, Age of Electric, Zumpano |
| Website |
thenewpornographers |
| Members |
Dan Bejar Kathryn Calder Neko Case John Collins Todd Fancey Carl Newman Joe Seiders Blaine Thurier |
| Past members |
Kurt Dahle Fisher Rose |
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1999 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
History
The band's first four albums each placed 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, No. 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 claim that rock and roll was "the new pornography."[5] The band has released six albums to date: Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), Challengers (2007), Together (2010), and Brill Bruisers (2014). A live album recorded on their 2006 tour is available only at concerts and on the band's website.
In 2005, the band was the subject of Reginald Harkema's documentary film Better Off in Bed.[6]
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".
In 2009, The New Pornographers contributed a cover of the Destroyer 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]
In 2012, The New Pornographers contributed a cover of the song "Think About Me" for the Fleetwood Mac tribute CD called "Just Tell Me That You Want Me" released by Hear Music.
The band's sixth album, Brill Bruisers, was released on August 26, 2014.
Members
Current members
Members' other projects in brackets
- Dan Bejar – vocals, guitar (Destroyer, Swan Lake, and Hello, Blue Roses) (1999–present)
- Kathryn Calder – vocals, keyboards, guitar (solo artist and of Immaculate Machine) (2005–present)
- Neko Case – vocals (solo artist, also of Maow, The Corn Sisters, and Cub) (1999–present)
- John Collins – bass (The Evaporators and Destroyer) (1999–present)
- Todd Fancey – lead guitar (solo artist (as Fancey) and of Limblifter) (2003–present)
- Carl Newman – vocals, guitar (solo artist (as A.C. Newman), also of Superconductor and Zumpano) (1999–present)
- Joe Seiders – drums, vocals (Beat Club) (2014-present)
- Blaine Thurier – keyboards, synthesizer (independent filmmaker) (1999–present)
Touring members
- Simi Stone – violin, vocals (solo artist and of Suffrajett) (2015–present) [8]
Former members
- Kurt Dahle – vocals, drums (Limblifter and Age of Electric) (1999–2014)
- Fisher Rose – drums (Destroyer and A.C. Newman) (1999)
Former touring members
- Lindsay "Coco" Hames – vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar (The Ettes) (2014)
Timeline
Discography
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Live albums
Singles
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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)
- University of Phoenix Commercial (2007) – "Bleeding Heart Show"
- Stone of Destiny (2008) – "Mutiny, I Promise You"
- NBA Playoffs (2008) – "Use It"
- Numb3rs (2008) – "Challengers"
- Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Series 2, Episode 2) (2008) – "Adventures in Solitude"
- Management (2009) – "Adventures in Solitude", "All the Old Showstoppers"
- 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"
- Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011) - "Hey, Snow White"
- Amazon Kindle commercial – "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk"
- T-Mobile Commercial (2011) – "Moves"
- Hyundai Commercial (Canada) – "Moves"
- Go On (Opening Credits) (2012) – "Moves"
- Between (Season 1, Episode 1) (2015) – "Moves"
See also
References
- ↑ "Pazz & Jop awards from". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ↑ "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums of all time, No. 30 – No. 21, from". Blender.com. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ↑ "Rolling Stone lists Top 100 of decade". CBC News. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2 Oct 2010.
- ↑ Handler, Shane (2005-11-01). "The New Pornographers: Canadian Blockbuster". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ↑ "New Pornographers bio from". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ↑ "Harkema's road rockumentary inspired by the Rolling Stones". Edmonton Journal, July 22, 2005.
- ↑ Lindsay, Andrew (22 Feb 2010). "The New Pornographers reveal album details". Stereokill.net. Retrieved 1 Oct 2010.
- ↑ "AC Newman on the last bit of the New Pornographers' 'Brill Bruisers' tour from". nuvo.net. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
- 1 2 "US Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- 1 2 "UK Chartlog: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman". zobbel.de. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ↑ "New Pornographers > Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 2014-06-27.
External links
- Official site
- Matador Records label website