Final Rating: 8.4/10
The summer of 2014 is almost done. Up here in Canada, the summer has barely existed at all. With the deadliest winter we’ve had in years having overtaken a large chunk of the year, the spring time worked over time to heal everything. We’ve had a few heat warnings, but many summer days have been met with rain and wind. It is late August, and less than a month from now will be the calendar marked start of autumn. Despite not having had much of a summer, there is such thing as a reminder that it is never too late to enjoy something. Brill Bruisers is the summer album that shines with such radiance; It is the great late summer album of Canada. It is also an album that was conceived way down the line in The New Pornographer’s catalogue, as this Canadian super group proves that there is never an excuse to stop trying your hardest, no matter who you are or what your credentials say.
You can hear a lot of joy here that remark on the kind of bands that explode with happiness and celebration at any turn: From the Beach Boys harmonies that make the sun shine brighter to the Animal Collective-heavy Fantasy Fools that make the flowers around you smell stronger. There are a few comparisons to last year’s summer album Random Access Memories, including the ocean water stained guitar tones, the love of the music of yesterday, and even the digital voices in the song Backstairs. There are many indie bands that are hitting the airwaves that try to exude excitement through gang vocals, typical pop structures and straight forward lyricism. I often feel like these songs miss the point, as the glee here feels counterfeit. When I hear a song like War On the East Coast, where the music is running to keep up with A.C. Newman’s marching thought process, there isn’t any time to dilly dally. Brill Bruisers is the album that resembles the fun loving guru that made friends with everyone at Woodstock. It cannot contain its love of other bands while making sweet music of its own.
The Canadian indie scene tends to have such a strong sense of unity, and The New Pornographers aren’t any exception. Every instrument has been produced with acute detail as each layer is packed on top of one another without being compressed. With a large amount of room to breathe, there is enough space here to move around and let go. At the same time, with all of the activity and energy this album contains, it does feel like the album of a daydreamer, where it isn’t the person moving around but rather the person’s imagination. “I had a sound in my head but I couldn’t find the words to get it out” is a line from Born With a Sound, and if that line is any indication for how the writing process for this album went, 1) they found their solution or 2) they replicated the sound without the words they searched for. Brill Bruisers is a great team effort where everyone involved reflected instead of brain stormed, and it is a fun and uplifting experience as a result.
