Album Review: The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions

Back in 2005, the octet from Vancouver were surfing a wave.

Something like Arcade Fire for post-grads, their articulate indie-pop was reaping acclaim and enjoying a few sales thanks to their Twin Cinema album. It was a wave that broke, though, as the following two albums, Challengers and the overly safe Together, failed to match the standards of their first three albums. 2014's Brill Bruisers appeared to reverse the trend, aided by strong contributions from Dan Bejar and his distinctive, resourceful songwriting. Whiteout Conditions is, however, the first album by The New Pornographers without original member Bejar. How did they fare?

While synths have always been there to augment their sound if need be, the band have now committed themselves to undiluted electro-pop, featuring the kind of twinkling, optimistic keyboard panoramas that M83 used to specialise in. The title track is a fine example, featuring a techno-file soundscape and Neko Case's soaring, clear-blue vocals together with Carl Newman's counterintuitively angsty lyrics. Although the levels of kudos they scaled for Twin Cinema seem distant now, and Bejar's politely caustic contributions are missed, Whiteout Conditions' '80s revivalism somehow has given The New Pornographers a new lease of life.