Why I like the New Pornographers and you don't

I've been into the New Pornographers (that's most of them pictured, as if you couldn't guess, although I couldn't find a group pic that included Dan Bejar) for a little over two years now. In that time, I've found that people have one of two reactions to their music. Either they think the NPs are the greatest band ever, or they're fairly indifferent. Nobody absolutely hates them, and nobody thinks they're good but not great. I think I've finally figured out why.

But first, a few of the things it's not.

It's not the music. Power pop is easily accessible to everybody, and liked by most. The vocals are easily on the same level as any major band out there.

It's not any sort of blandness. If I had to describe the New Pornographers' music in one word, it would be 'catchy'. Every single song sticks in your head and refuses to leave.

For a while I thought it was the lack of choruses. It's hard to keep a song in mind when it doesn't follow the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge mixed in somewhere/chorus/another chorus/whatever format we're so used to. But it's not that, either.

It's the lyrics.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not one of those people who likes a song because they can relate its lyrics to certain life experiences. I'd actually prefer to avoid that. (In fact, I've recently given up on a certain KW radio station because seemingly every song was about a breakup. What happened to happy music?)

I'd go as far as to say most people aren't that way. So why am I saying it's the lyrics that are turning people off of the New Pornographers, when I'm also saying that people don't care about the lyrics?

There are plenty of popular bands who are well-known for having 'creative', 'confusing', or 'intelligent' (my least favourite of the labels) lyrics. The Tragically Hip spring to mind right away, as do R.E.M.. I'm sure you can think of some as well.

Take any song by one of these bands, and look at the lyrics. What do you notice? The lyrics make sense on some level, but you're left with the feeling there's another level to the song that you're not fully comprehending.

The lyrics of the New Pornographers, on the other hand, look more like a game of Mad Libs. Example:

When the contact high
From the real life adventures wear off,
You find, in the tiny moments that bomb, your old files rain down from the sky.

And would they fall down,
Like cymbal crashes, would the alarm bell sound?
Would your eyelashes keep all this in time?
If not, I won't mind...

It can be impractical.
It can be impractical

So can you tell me
Why in every version of the events shown here,
Theres another season that crawls by like years,
From blown speakers clear?

It came out magical.
It came out magical.

Just a contact high,
One in every mood I've ever declined to fight,
One in every single exchange you might find.
From blown speakers,
Time came out magical

It came out magical, out from blown speakers
It came out magical, out from blown speakers [repeat]
--"From Blown Speakers" by The New Pornographers

I didn't go looking for the best example I could find to illustrate my point. This is completely typical of any of their songs - certain phrases might make sense, but the song as a whole? No idea what it's about, and it's probably not about anything.

Carl Newman has a great knack for composing excellent pop melodies with strong hooks. Unfortunately, his lyrics leave something (well, a lot) to be desired. And until that changes, the New Pornographers will never achieve any serious level of popularity, no matter how good everything else is. Most people aren't like me, most people care about lyrics at least a little bit.

--Ryan