More pure genius from The New Pornographers' pop wellspring The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador Records) 4 1/2 stars (out of 5 stars) Reviewed: Aug. 23, 2005

Review by Tony Bonyata

How does a band follow-up one of the most pleasing platters of pure pop bliss ever put to disc? When you're the Vancouver-based New Pornographers you keep a good portion of what worked in the past (expertly crafted pop songs filled with one intoxicating hook after another, all beautifully layered with keys, guitars and sticky-sweet harmonies carefully extracted from the inner wall of a honeycomb), while, at the same time, pushing the boundaries of what power-pop can be.
And that's exactly what The New Pornographers have done on their latest full-length release Twin Cinema. While the immediacy of this effort doesn't whip you into a swift headlock, forcing you to happily sing along with every song - something their two previous albums (2000's Mass Romantic and 2003's Electric Version) did with a wicked glee - that's not to imply that this album is any less engaging or entertaining.
The brain-trust behind this ever-growing band (nine at last count) is A.C. Newman, who, after just three albums, has proved himself the modern contemporary of pop rock masters Lennon/McCartney and Brian Wilson. While there are still many moments throughout Twin Cinema that shine as brightly as their previous efforts, they've actually come down from their sugar-buzz to deliver a wealth of mature pop songs that realize that moderation is the key to balancing in the sweets.
Fans of the whip-smart Electric Version will immediately gravitate to songs such as the opening title track, as well as the peppy "Star Bodies," "Jackie, Dressed In Cobras," which borrows a welcome British Invasion guitar-line, and "Three or Four," featuring the double lead vocals of the angelic Neko Case and the latest addition to the band - Newman's 23-year niece Kathryn Calder. But just when the path starts feeling a bit familiar, Newman and company find a fork in the road and head for uncharted territory with the more introspective "The Bones Of An Idol," which starts out innocently enough with Case handling the lead vocals before it closes with a sprawling, majestic ending. Equally interesting is the challenging beauty of "The Bleeding Heart Show," which, by the song's coda, perfectly melds western pop sensibilities with African tribal choral music. Even the irresistible "Sing Me Spanish Techno," which incorporates a ridiculously wonderful amount of different musical parts within the song's four-minute structure, finds the band building muscle mass while stretching their limbs.
With three albums that hover dangerously close to pure pop perfection, I'm beginning to get the feeling these guys would actually have to work on creating something even close to mediocre.