The New Pornographers - Together

It's taken awhile for me to listen to Together, the latest album from indie super-group The New Pornographers, simply because I'm, well, sick of them. I wasn't too impressed with their last album, 2007's Challengers, and I couldn't really tell you the last time I seriously listened to their other albms. Still, if their first three records are any indication, when this band is on, they are fucking great. In the case of Together, they've retained their signature poppy sound and invited friends like St. Vincent's Annie Clark, Beirut's Zach Condon, and Okkervil River's Will Sheff along for the ride. Overall, Together sounds like a more fleshed out album than Challengers did--bursting at the seams with horns and instantly memorable hooks. The jangly guitars of "Crash Years" grabs the listener and forces them to nod their head along, as the pummeling drums of "Your Hands (Together)" follows and turns the subtle head-nod into a full body shake. Later, the lovely handclaps and tambourine on "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" recall 2005's pop-friendly, Twin Cinema, and the Neko Case-sung "My Shepherd" carries the album into its second half nicely with a vibrant horn section. Together is proof that The New Pornographers still have a few more great albums left in them and that no matter what other projects they busy themselves with, they're all able to pick up right where they left off; which is truly the mark of a great super-group.

DOWNLOAD: The New Pornographers - Together [Matador]
Recommended Tracks: "Crash Years," "Your Hands (Together)," "Silver Jenny Dollar," "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk," "Up In The Dark."