The New Pornographers

Challengers - Matador Records On the popular television evening dramas (I am partial to the show House, myself), there is always a turning point close to the end where the dramatic climax is punctuated by a song that sums up what dialogue cannot. The New Pornographers' new record, Challengers, is filled with anthems that television producers will line up to include in their scripts. On their fourth album, The New Pornographers have made an album that is as close to a perfect pop record as I have heard in months. The guys and dolls who make up The New Pornographers all have other groups or solo careers. They get together and record under this name, and then they go back to whatever they were doing before. Band member Neko Case sounds in top form when singing "Mutiny, I Promise You" and the straight-to-your-TV anthem "Go Places." These musicians leave all ego at the recording studio door and gel as a band, in a way that some other bands' side projects have trouble doing. Challengers is an album that should be given a chance by those who enjoy well-crafted pop records. It is a fine, uplifting album, and you will need only to wipe away the tears before the credits roll when it's played in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, or whatever show might need a little emotional boost from a powerful pop tune. ¦