The New Pornographers

Brill Bruisers (Matador)

Experiencing the death of his mother and then the birth of his first son, frontman Carl Newman welcomed a return to this Canadian collective’s uptempo energy on Brill Bruisers, the New Pornographers’ sixth LP. The opening title track instantly redirects the subtle ebb of immediate predecessors Challengers (2007) and Together (2010), its brawny, sweeping totality a musical submersion with little respite. “Hi-Rise” totes a futuristic quality, Newman divulging the band’s incorporation of iPad apps to enhance recording. Neko Case-sung standout “Champions Of Red Wine” levels the otherwise upbeat 13-track disc, before Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar’s “War on the East Coast” returns momentum upward – both tunes a reminder of the supergroup’s devastating skill. (5:55pm, Orange stage)

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This article appears in November 7 • 2014.

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