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Bolstered with an impressive arsenal of instrumentation—piano, strings, banjo, harp, flute, French horn, harmonica and more—Challengers, the much-anticipated fourth album from The New Pornographers, is a positive step forward in the development of a band that has continued to evolve with each subsequent record. This is The New Pornographers drenched in power-pop harmonies augmented with textured melodies and down-to-earth lyrics—less frenetic, sure, but richer, fuller and ultimately more satisfying.
The opening track, “My Rights Versus Yours,” displays the pure vocal harmonies that have defined the band’s sound since their debut, Mass Romantic, but it also signals a more delicate approach that continues throughout Challengers. There’s less synth and more acoustic strumming and country-rock influence from Neko Case, who, as always, provides the dominant female vocals. But as Neko continues to prove herself as one of the strongest female vocalists in music today (check out the title track for all the evidence you need), Kathryn Calder steps forward, demonstrating her own prodigious talents on such graceful tracks as the tremolo guitar–driven “Failsafe” and the melancholy closing track, “Adventures in Solitude.”
Only two tracks—“All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth” and “Mutiny, I Promise You”—would have fit comfortably on other NP albums, and here they serve as positive reminders of the band’s singular ability to deliver electric, uplifting power-pop.
As on Electric Version and Twin Cinema, Dan Bejar (Destroyer) contributes a few songs, including his suitably angular contemplation of the unique beauty of New York City, “Myriad Harbour,” and the overtly sexual, swinging “Entering White Cecilia.” But the spotlight is reserved for A.C. Newman, the driving force behind the band’s songwriting development. At nearly seven minutes long, “Unguided” is the centerpiece of Challengers and certainly Newman’s longest composition to date—but it never drags, and, true to form, it’s remarkably well-structured and executed.
“You wrote yourself into a corner safe, easy to defend your borders,” sings Newman—thankfully, this is a sentiment he and his bandmates continue to ignore as they ascend to the highest ranks of indie pop.
