
Challengers largely follows the same formula established on the first three New Pornographers albums. Guitarist A. C. Newman writes most of the songs, giving a few to Case to sing and singing the rest himself. The remaining songs are contributed by Danny Bejar, whose quirky stream-of-consciousness lyrics have always provided a welcome counterpoint to Newman's more conventional approach. Musically, the band haven't strayed too far from the power pop that defined their sound initially, although the new album does include a bit of orchestration. Some of Newman's lyrics on the new record take a fairly serious tone as well; on the opener "My Rights Versus Yours," he sings about not wanting to fall under the wheels of "the new empire in rags."
I felt that the New Pornographers took a big step forward the previous time around with Twin Cinema, especially Newman as a songwriter. Challengers, while still good on the whole and certainly worth getting if you're a fan, didn't make quite the same impression on me. It has some fun songs like "All Of The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth" and "Mutiny, I Promise You," but I feel that the band covers mostly familiar territory here. Still, it's a respectable effort from one of the better bands out there right now.
Overall grade: B
reviewed by Scott

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