A.C. Newman "The Slow Wonder" - The first solo album of The New Pornographers front man Carl Newman. You'll hear a lot of similarities to NP (since he wrote most of their songs). Great pop music that is filled with varied instruments, intricate complicated percussion that sounds so natural it blends right in, and of course tons of vocal harmonies. His lyrical phrasing can sometimes be odd and there are surprising mood changes in each song that really keeps this interesting and fresh. My only complaint is that some songs seem too reserved. I kept waiting for the song to blow up into a huge ball of pop sound and it never really did. Regardless, they are solid pop tunes that demand to be played. If you like pop, you will like this.
My Picks: 2, 7, 10
Katie P. 9/29/04

1) Starts with uptempo drumming. Guitar hits come in. Cute 60's pop sensibilities. The whole song kind of holds back just a little. The explosion never happens.
2) Midtempo and laid back. Nice percussion mixing with tambourine, handclaps, and toms. Guitar played with a drunken slide feel. Great vocal harmonies and lots of instrumentation layers. Soft and sweet.
3) Uptempo and bouncy. Nice piano walking throughout. This one has a very New Pornographers sound to it with fun change-ups here and there but always coming back to the main theme. And of course nice vocal harmonies.
4) Slower midtempo. Heavy reverb on guitar and heavy drum hits. Interesting phrasing on the lyrics.
5) Faster midtempo with a key that sounds just slightly off, but only slightly. Heavier rock feel in the guitar, but still poppy with some kind of whistle (maybe recorder?) keeping it light. Nice build section in the middle.
6) Faster midtempo. Cute smooth keyboards and solid driving guitar. Percussion is quite intricate while sounding simple at the same time.
7) Slower with a bit of a drunken feel to it. Guitar slides and soft drums. Piano and even trumpet in here. Wow! This is really pretty. Sort of sad.
8) Midtempo jerky start. Sounds like at least 2 or 3 guitars in there. Vocals sound a little far away and muffled.
9) Starts with pounding drums and tambourine. Slow and dragging. Builds some with nice vocal harmonies. Piano is added and it starts to pick up tempo a little. Ooo, horns too.
10) Dark menacing cello line. Piano comes in giving it more urgency. Then it breaks out into cute pop bliss. Then back again. Nice vocal harmonies.
11) Uptempo builds with pounding drums and piano. Vocals are a little muffled/filtered. Builds up to each chorus and then it lets off a little. I keep waiting for the big payoff of exploding pop and it just never happens...