New
Pornographers don't hold back
The New Pornographers/Destroyer/Immaculate Machine
The Roxy, Boston, Massachusetts
October 11, 2005
by Marc Hirsh
[photos
taken by Marc Hirsh]
originally published in
The Boston Globe, October 13, 2005
On records like the new Twin
Cinema, New Pornographers leader Carl Newman carries the air of a
benevolent dictator controlling every aspect of his band’s skewed power
pop and
using his bandmates as tools at his disposal rather than full-fledged
collaborators. But there was no sign of that at the Roxy on Tuesday,
when
Newman’s role was far more balanced with those of the others on stage
with him.
Considering the increasing untamability of the New
Pornographers themselves, that may have been inevitable. With
keyboardist and
singer (as well as Newman’s newly discovered niece) Kathryn Calder
added to the
lineup and wildcard member Dan Bejar no longer sitting out tours, there
were as
many as eight performers on stage. The band took advantage of the
flexibility
without getting muddled, with guitarist Todd Fancey and bassist John
Collins standing
unobtrusively in the back and serving as utility players while Newman,
Calder
and Neko Case harmonized like an off-kilter Fleetwood Mac.
Then again, Newman may have simply known that he was
outgunned. Bejar’s rare presence allowed the band to perform the
slashing
“Jackie, Dressed In Cobras” and others that would typically be dropped
from the
setlist. Case, meanwhile, is a force of nature, a superlative pop
vocalist with
a twangless country keen of enormous power. Underused though she might
be on record,
she was impossible to ignore on stage, whether singing her spotlight
numbers
from the band’s three albums or just providing sparkling backing for
Newman.
Still, the New Pornographers always acted as a single entity
and were never reduced to supporting someone’s star turn. “It’s Only
Divine
Right” saw them hitting the ground at 60 m.p.h. and never letting up,
while
drummer Kurt Dahle contributed his voice to the five-part human
carillon of
“Testament To Youth In Verse.” When the chords at the end of the title
phrase
of “These Are The Fables” were left to hang and decay in the air, the
audience
sat dead silent, waiting patiently for the change.
Opening acts Immaculate Machine and Destroyer provided
the evening with a sense of continuity by featuring New Pornographers
members
in their other projects. Keyboard/guitar/drum trio Immaculate Machine
saw
Calder in a more prominent role, tackling energetic, occasionally
sloppy Mates
Of State-like pop but without that group’s ecstatic vocalizing.
Destroyer pulled
three-quarters of its lineup from the headliners, and its stripped-down
but
knotty indie rock provided an apt backdrop for Bejar’s voice,
reminiscent of
Chris Knox singing with David Bowie’s delivery.
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