Search - New Pornographers :: Twin Cinema

Empty Calories

Paul D. Langley | Northern Virginia | 07/28/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The New Pornographers can not be faulted for their musical ability. It shines through all over this set. They have a great idea of power pop, and their performance here is energetic. By no means are they phoning it in. I think the problem here is the songs themselves. I just don't care about them. I don't hate them, but they don't stay with me, make me want to listen to them, or demand repeated listenings. Most others are going to disagree, and I understand that, but like the famous line, there is no "there" there."

From start to finish, just a terrific album

trainreader | Montclair, N.J. | 03/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So a friend lends me two cds that he heard good things about in the music press. I wasn't crazy about the first one and didn't have terribly high expectations for the second. It was from a Canadian band with a quirky name I didn't know much about. The first song -- ok but kind of ordinary. And then the next five songs, one after another, hit me like a tidal wave. I even recognized one of the four parts of "Bleeding Heart Show" from an ad for Phoenix University. The woman singing lead on the fantastic and enigmatic "Bones of an Idol" (Neko Case) had this incredible voice. The harmonies were sophisticated and I'd never heard anything quite like these songs before.



Anyway, after listening to "Twin Cinema" three times a day for about a week, I bought the band's other three cds -- all good, but not as good as this classic. Out of my favorite N.P. songs, I would say about half are on this album. Besides the five in a row I mentioned, I also love "Star Bodies" which sounds a bit like the Kink's "Victoria," and the frenetic closer, "Stacked Crooked." Even the six songs I like less on the album are quite good.



"Twin Cinema" is simply a great album that I never tire of."

A Masterpiece

R. Stone | Farmington, CT United States | 04/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's not that often that I discover a group that totally, instantly, blows me away. When I do, I'm torn between the urge to keep them a secret of the lucky minority that knows of them, or to shout their names from the rooftops. Twin Cinema was the first cd I heard by The New Pornographers. I was hooked immediately, and it's still my favorite of theirs. It's hard to categorize their music. Power pop? Maybe power pop from left field, or power pop from Mars. A.C. Newman is the backbone of the group, writing and singing lead on the majority of the songs, as well as playing a wide and interesting assortment of instruments. Dan Bejar contributes a few songs to each cd,and they are captivating. Some compare his work to early Bowie, but to me he brings to mind early Robin Hitchcock (I can give no greater praise). Nico Case sings lead on a few cuts, providing a stunning change of pace. Highlights from this collection are many. The title song is a rocker that kicks butt. Streets Of Fire is a beautifully quirky (quirkily beautiful?) ballad sung as a duet by Bejar and Case. Jackie, Dressed in Cobras is just mind-blowing. [...] Sing Me Spanish Techno has a hooky chorus I can't get out of my head. Truly, there is not a weak cut on this. A masterpiece from an extraordinarily talented group. I guess you could consider this my shouting their name from the rooftops."