A.C. Newman can sing
Saw the New Pornographers last night. I was hoping Neko Case and/or quirky genius Dan Bejar would be at the show. It was not to be.
But between A.C. Newman's fantastic vocals, Kurt Dahle's propulsive drumming and an absolutely solid band there wasn't anything missing. I've seen them three times now, and this was their best performance.
I also have a whole new appreciation for Twin Cinema. The album seemed listless to me but the songs--in particular "Stacked Crooked"--are much more vital live. And the "no-no-no" part at the end of "Testament to Youth in Verse" was glorious (I'm a sucker for good vocal arrangements).
The other pleasant surprise of the night was Immaculate Machine, a guitar-keyboard-drums trio with an angular Cure-ish sound and three-part co-ed vocals. Good stuff.
