In The Morse Code Of Break Lights - The New Pornographers: Review
are a Canadian music collective that has been releasing acclaimed indie records for almost two decades now. The bands 2000 and 2005 records Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema are well respected and critically acclaimed records that most indie fans of the 2000's are very familiar with. The band received a boost in popularity in this decade when one of their long time member Dan Bejar found massive critical acclaim as a solo artist under his Destroyer moniker in 2011 with Kaputt and again in 2015 with Poison Season.
Review By Lavender:
The New Pornographers are one of the most consistent artists in the modern indie scene, despite not really having a commonly agreed upon single classic record the band has a sound all their own and execute on it pretty well one album after another. Even a full decade after their debut the band was still making good material on their last two records, 2014's surprisingly solid Bill Bruisers and 2017's decent Whiteout Conditions. It's hard to have incredibly high expectations for the group but they have a pretty well established standard and Morse Code comfortably lives up to it.
The era started off strong with Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile a lead single I loved with a fantastic hook and some great supporting vocals that all come together to make a sugary guitar led indie tune. All the songs surrounding this track in the beginning of the record are pretty sharp tunes that get the album off to a hot start. You'll Need A New Backseat Driver is a punchy and fun indie tune with a loud quiet loud dynamic and some pretty unique instrumentation. The Surprise Knock has some vocals on the hook that I can definitely see people finding annoying but I actually quite enjoy them and it makes the track much more exciting with its bouncy percussion and bright chorus.
The next bunch of tracks are also a very solid set. Colossus Of Rhodes is a very theatrical tune with arena sized instrumentation and vocals that beg to shouted along with. Not the best track from a songwriting perspective but the energy is absolutely infectious. Higher Beams is a really solid tune that I like quite a bit, it has some super sweet lead vocals and despite the subject matter a swelling and synthetic instrumental that I also dig a bunch. Dreamlike And On The Rush is one of the best tracks on the entire record with a swirling string section and an energetic lead vocal performance. The supporting vocals and percussion hit in a huge way that wraps the song together in a gorgeous manner that really rolls back the clock for the band.
While the second half isn't perfect there are a few tracks just as solid as the start of the record. Opening Ceremony is a sugary indie rock ballad with dense instrumentation and understated vocals as well as some of my favorite keys across the entire song. Leather On The Seat is a decent and sentimental closer that is an effortlessly catchy way to end the record off.
Unfortunately the record isn't perfect and while there really aren't any terrible tunes on here there are some that just don't do enough for me. You Won't Need Those Where You're Going is a stark piano ballad that just doesn't really have much of anything compelling from a songwriting standpoint and is pretty boring even given its short runtime. Need Some Giants has some shoegaze style fuzzed out vocals and a really loose tune that never really builds up momentum or any interesting texture. One Kind Of Solomon was a single that didn't thrill me I think the driving instrumental fits the first verse way more than the second one, the hook is decent and the song is overall just tolerable.
In The Morse Code Of Breaking Lights is a solid release in a long line of solid releases from one of indie rocks most consistent bands. While it isn't one of the best records and may not even be their best record of this decade it is certainly one worth hearing and proves even further that the band is working with a strong bassline of creativity that most groups can only really channel for a few years at a time. 7/10
For more indie rock check out my review of Broken Social Scene's Lets Try The After EP here
