The New Pornographers, Lady Lamb
Majestic Theatre 115 King St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Ebru Yildiz
The New Pornographers
Now in their second decade, The New Pornographers are one of rock’s most inventive acts. And they are incredible live — power pop demands energy, and The New Pornographers always deliver. The Canadian collective is releasing its eighth album, In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, the day of this show, so come out and celebrate with them. (Also, don’t miss any opportunity to see Neko Case live.) With Lady Lamb.
$35.
press release: Critically acclaimed group The New Pornographers’ forthcoming new album, In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights, is due September 27 via the band’s own Collected Work Records imprint in partnership with Concord Records. “The Surprise Knock”is the second single from the album.
"The Surprise Knock" by The New Pornographers
Frontperson and songwriter A.C. Newman says, “‘The Surprise Knock’ had a different feel when we first recorded it—and I wouldn’t mind releasing that version at some point. But as I was listening to it, I thought, ‘Why don’t we play this song like New Pornographers 2005?’ Then we just replayed it with that feel. I thought enough time has passed that I feel like I can play songs that sort of sound like a classic a sound and not feel like I’m repeating myself, because it’s been so long. That was definitely a part of it: just wanting to...I hate to say ‘get back,’ but just get more slightly raucous and sounding more like a band.”
“I was about two-thirds of the way through the record when I began to notice that lyrically so much of it was pointing toward car songs,” notes Newman. “The opening track is ‘You’ll Need a Backseat Driver,’ and that was a metaphor that seemed to be running through other songs, too. Next to the love song, I feel like the car song is one of the most iconic kinds of songs in pop music, from Chuck Berry to the present. There was so much of that throughout it that I started thinking: ‘Oh, no, there’s too many references to cars on this record!’ And then I thought, ‘No, that's good—people might think it’s a concept album.’”
The New Pornographers have released seven studio albums to date including their most recent, Whiteout Conditions. The first album released on their own imprint, Collected Works Records, in partnership with Concord Records, the album received widespread acclaim and was hailed as “rich with new wave synths and closely blended harmonies” by Pitchfork, while Rolling Stone praised its “uplifting three to four minute indie-pop numbers, imbued with lush vocals.”