BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition September 2019

MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS
Interview
THE NEW
PORNOGRAPHERS'
THROWBACK
TO SIMPLER
TIMES
BROCKHAMPTON
Ginger
Question Everything/RCA
THE NEW
PORNOGRAPHERS
In the Morse Code of
Brake Lights
Collected Work Records
Carl Newman is sitting on a chic
couch in a vacant corner of Toronto’s
Chelsea Hotel, basking in confident
tranquility. He’s calm, cool,
collected, and sipping on a latte as
he meets with the press, mentally
preparing to lead his band, The
New Pornographers, on yet another
tour, this time in support of their
eighth studio album, In the Morse
Code of Brake Lights.
Since their inception in 2000,
the Canadian indie rockers have
amassed fandom all around the
world due to their penchant for
catchy power pop tunes and
relatable songwriting. Their last album,
Whiteout Conditions (2017),
received favourable reviews, and
was followed by a successful tour.
Now, two years later, armed with
a new collection of songs, Newman
is ready to ramp things up
again. You might wonder where his
head is at, but his head is where it’s
always been – in the music.
“I feel like I never really get
away from the music. I get away
from playing gigs, but I’m always
at home trying to write,” says
Newman. “Like even right now, this
record hasn’t even come out yet
and I’m already looking at what
I’ve been working on most recently
and saying, ‘I’ve got the guts of
another record here.’”
Home for Newman is in the
small upstate New York town of
Woodstock, where he lives with
his wife and seven-year-old son.
There are only about 6000 residents
in the offseason, with it doubling
during the summer months.
He enjoys the peace and quiet of
the place but is very aware of the
larger national community and political
atmosphere he is now a part
of, and it seeps into his writing. “I
just can’t avoid it,” says Newman,
but at the same time, he doubts
his own perspective.
“Well for me it’s ultimately just
personal. Like I’m not trying to
write any statement about what
it means to be here right now, but
I can try to communicate what I
feel like and maybe somebody
else feels the same way,” says
Newman. “In a lot of ways, I don’t
think it’s my place to be the person
who tries to make a political
statement about what’s going on
because I’m the privileged one. I’m
a middle aged straight white guy.
Not that we don’t have anything to
say, but nobody needs us to step
in and say, ‘Hey guys, I’ve figured
this out!’”
While Brake Lights’ political
themes are a more latent effect
of Newman’s surroundings, the
album’s throwback sound is much
more purposeful. He notes that,
as he’s gotten older, he’s become
less self-conscious about repeating
himself.
“Halfway through the record,
I think I was in Vancouver, I said,
‘Let’s do it differently. Let’s speed
it up by 10 or 15 BPM and give it
more of a DOO DOO DOO DOO,
that driving four-on-the-floor thing
we used to do more of.’”
The result is a sound that new
and long-time fans can easily
enjoy, throwing things back to
simpler times, when things were
less chaotic and everyone was
more or less on the same driving
beat.
Best track: The Surprise Knock
Max Asper
It’s only been three years since
BROCKHAMPTON released their
first mixtape, but the “boy band”
that famously formed through a
Kanye West fan forum has lived a
lifetime since. Among their biggest
wins was securing a $15-million
record deal with RCA; an achievement
offset by the departure of
popular member (and possibly best
rapper), Ameer Vann, amid sexual
misconduct allegations.
They’ve made it through hell,
and their latest effort Ginger is
the story of what it’s like adjusting
to the other side. This quip from
de facto leader Kevin Abstract on
“Dearly Departed” describes the
overall vibe: “No lies, ‘bout how me
and my brothers been traumatized
/ And I must keep creating truths
and hooks to get up outta this hell
for myself.” While it’s not exactly
triumphant or jubilant, it’s honest,
and articulates more complicated
and mature emotions than we’ve
seen in the past from the group.
The album starts off swinging
with the four best tracks in
succession—with an appearance
from buzzy British rapper slowthai
in there for good measure. The
vocal styles and themes feel a bit
disjointed at times, which seems
inevitable in a group so large, but
the stellar production of Romil
Hemnani and Jabari Manwa holds
everything together nicely.
Some producers may struggle to
create canvases that can accomodate
so many contrasting styles,
but these guys navigate the group’s
performance needs with ease to
create the emotionally fun ride that
is Ginger.
Best Track: Boy Bye
Josephine Cruz
34 BEATROUTE SEPTEMBER 2019