Review Summary: Exploring new spaces
On their tenth album,
The Former Site Of, Canadian indie rockers The New Pornographers present a collection of ten stories that band leader A.C. Newman masterfully crafts into flawless pop numbers. However, for those expecting their usual “sweet” power pop, a surprise awaits: this is literally the “former site” of that bygone, carefree energy. In place of anthems comes something restrained, pained, and melancholic – a reflection of a world where optimism demands colossal effort. Given the band’s recent history, such a mood feels entirely understandable.
The New Pornographers continue to explore the liminal states of the human soul, turning to the fates of a diverse cast of characters. Each track is a deep examination of individuals in unstable circumstances: from a woman trapped on a cruise ship in the opener
Great Princess Story to the title character, plunged into existential reflection over a floral arrangement. The album doesn’t try to distract us from reality or refute its bleakness; on the contrary, it invites us to look it straight in the eye, finding beauty in decay and solace in sorrow.
The new record evokes comparisons to the misty material of
Belle and Sebastian, reminding us that depth does not always require blistering volume or a frantic tempo. The band’s transformation, which began on
Continue as a Guest, reaches its peak here. Newman has definitively shifted his vector: the focus is now on crafting an enveloping mood rather than on aggressive hooks. At times, it feels like a completely different band –
Neko Case’s signature solo vocal spots, once a hallmark of the collective, are almost entirely absent. Instead of joyful chaos, we hear reflections on the fragility of life, the fear of mortality, and societal collapse.
Drummer Charlie Drayton played a special role in shaping this sound. Eschewing his usual straightforward zest, the rhythm section here opts for a syncopated, stenciled tempo reminiscent of
Peter Gabriel at his most restrained. The work on the album resulted from the evolution of Newman’s home studio methods, having fully mastered its capabilities. Moving away from the remote collaboration of the lockdown era, he was able to meticulously flesh out the “skeleton” of the compositions, creating entire universes filled with intriguing details and textural layers.
One of the record’s striking features is the dominance of the mandolin. In the track
Votive, the instrument creates a sense of rapid acceleration, even as the lyrics remain steadfastly grim:
“Hands are cupped around a match / I’m just trying to keep the lights on /// Or has it already gone out”. Alongside this track, the elegiac
Ballad of the Last Payphone and
Wine Remembers the Water create an atmosphere of light-filled sorrow. Special mention goes to
Bonus Mai Tais – a track with a playful title that masks a sharp grief for a friend and the joy of final moments spent together under
“the sidereal doo-wop of the rain”.
Even in moments of relative energy, like
Spooky Action or
Calligraphy, the band balances between anxiety and dark humor, reminding us that
“it’s Armageddon somewhere”. The record closes with the title track – a true cinematic explosion of magnificence. The image of a former priest on a church roof during a flood develops into a triumphant, soaring glissando. It is a desperate cry of hope: the old New Pornographers no longer live here, but they hope to find something else, something better in uncharted lands.
The Former Site Of resolutely rejects predictability, balancing between timeliness and a timeless quality that evokes a deep sense of shared empathy with the characters’ experiences. Against all odds, the album continues to evolve, proving that their music retains an inexplicable spark and appeal even in its most self-critical moments. The album does not offer instant gratification – you need to sit with it, to listen closely, to realize that you are not alone in your fears of a changing world. It is like a rare and beautiful snapshot of a distant planet, taken at precisely the right moment.
