Shut Down The Streets
by A.C. Newman

Best Tracks: Hostages, You Could Get Lost Out Here

I think of this kind of music as "clean rock," similar in some ways to bands like Let's Active and XTC, with perfect instrumentation and production and polished songwriting, and it's probably the best clean rock album I can think of. The melodies and instrumentation are all impeccable, and every song has a sense of beauty. It's not music with a sharp edge or an obvious sense of angst, beyond the heavy use of minor chords I guess, but it's still great art. I think it's probably Canadian in a way. It's clean, melancholy pop without the tinge of blues or desperation you get in American rock, but that doesn't mean it has no soul. I think it has a vital soul, just not the kind we've come to expect from American rock or most of the British rock that's come to draw so heavily from American music. I think if you listen to French-Canadian folk music (think accordions in minor keys, or fiddles and foot-tapping), you could probably find a root to this style of pop. In particular, "Wasted English" uses accordion in a way that is absolutely French or French-Canadian. There's not a track on this album that doesn't grab me in some way. A.C. Newman's voice and melodies will always be welcome to my ears.

From paladisiac 01/02/2013 16:03 | #59792

Well, the "A.C." now stands for "adult contemporary". Maybe dan bejar's last album swayed carl into trying some retro sounds (he even sounds "new age-y" in "do your own time"). The album is very soft and sleepy, sometimes just plain lazy ("you could get lost out here"). Unlike early new porn music, no songs are jampacked with multiple catchy choruses (but "encyclopedia of classic takedowns" and "strings" have a remote view of the ballpark). That's not to say that some of these songs aren't catchy or fun, most are good and safe songs, there are a few mid+ tempo tracks, just not packed with the energy or choruses i'm used to out of A.C. projects. (This album also tempers my enthusiasm for the next new porn album.)