A.C. Newman - Shut Down the Streets
This is New Pornographer Carl Newman's third solo album (I don't know why he goes by A.C. Newman for his solo efforts either). His first two solo albums, 2004's The Slow Wonder and 2009's Get Guilty are both quite good and almost entirely indistinguishable from The New Pornographers' official albums in a way that Destroyer's or Neko Case's solo stuff isn't: it's not hard at all envisioning songs like "Miracle Drug,' "On the Table," and "Prophets" appearing on New Pornographers' albums. In fact, if any of you like the New Pornographers and haven't yet listened to A.C. Newman, you really owe it to yourself to do so.
When I heard that Neko Case was going to be making guest appearances on Shut Down the Streets, I expected this third album to continue the trend of sounding very similar to the New Pornographers' work, but upon listening to it, I'm somewhat surprised to learn that this isn't the case. In many ways, this album is what you would expect from a solo album by the principal songwriter of a rock band: the mood here is much more subdued, mimicking the AM Gold vibe of the singer-songwriter era of the 70's, and songs are far more likely to meander lazily about. Make no mistake, this is still Carl Newman: the album still has its fair share of pleasing melodies, but if you're looking for something like the New Pornographers' more rocking numbers or soaring choruses, you're not going to find it here.
All in all, I still enjoy the album - I tend to just like the way Newman writes songs - and I really enjoy lead single "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns," which has the bigness that some of the New Pornographers' best has. This won't top my list of favorite New Pornographers albums (that would be Electric Version or Twin Cinema, depending on the day), and this isn't even my favorite Newman album (the aforementioned The Slow Wonder), but it is a solid addition to the rotation.
Selections
Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns
A.C. Newman – There’s Money In New Wave
Hostages
A.C. Newman – Hostages
I'm Not Talking
