The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Those crazy Canadians. There must be something in the water over there because with bands like the Arcade Fire, Stars, and these guys, the New Pornographers, they're making some of the best music around.

On their third album, the beautiful The Bleeding Heart Show and the flamboyant prog' pop of Broken Beads, sum up the majestic sound the New Pornographers produce. As they break into the "hey la, hey la" of the chorus of The Bleeding Heart Show it hits heights reminiscent of 10,000 Maniacs but with more ballsy strums.

On Twin Cinema the time signatures are all over the place, but they are never disturbing, just interesting. The beats often act with a delay effect that gives the music a lovely lucidity, balancing out the sometimes jumped-up and hyper pop.

Songs such as Jackie, Dressed In Cobras (with bashed out piano), Use It, and the spastic, Sing Me Spanish Techno, are spitting images of Goodshirt and Split Enz. The great thing about the New Pornographers is you know they're not odd for the sake of being odd. It's just frontman A. C. Newman in a recording studio with his favourite converts. Let's all join up.

Label: Matador/Rhythmethod