Whiteout Conditions is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers. It was released on April 7, 2017, and is the first album not to feature either longtime drummer Kurt Dahle or singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.[1][2]
| Whiteout Conditions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 7, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Power pop, indie pop | |||
| Length | 41:33 | |||
| Label | Concord | |||
| Producer |
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| The New Pornographers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Whiteout Conditions | ||||
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The band released the first single "High Ticket Attractions" on January 27, 2017.
Release and reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 78/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | C+[6] |
| The Guardian | |
| The Independent | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[10] |
| Q | |
| Slant Magazine | |
| Uncut | 8/10[13] |
| Vice | A[14] |
Whiteout Conditions was released by Concord Music Group on April 7, 2017, to generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 78, based on 21 reviews.[4] Dave Simpson, a critic for The Guardian, said its "songs about depression, society and the environment sound euphoric" within the music's "exuberant pile-up of harmonies, hooks and powerpop".[7] Andy Gill from The Independent observed "a drive and urgency about Whiteout Conditions that whisks one along regardless, their usual indie-pop mode here strengthened by layers of fast, bubbly synths and pulsing Eurocentric beats".[8] Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau said lead vocalist and songwriter Carl Newman "generates 11 soaring new pop songs, which in some abstrusely Krautrock way are sparer than the 13 on Brill Bruisers".[14] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club was less impressed, writing that the record featured interesting musical and emotional ideas, but lacked memorable melodies and a sense of dynamics.[6]
The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize.[15]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by A. C. Newman
| No. | Title | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Play Money" | Neko Case, Newman | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Whiteout Conditions" | Newman, Case | 4:08 |
| 3. | "High Ticket Attractions" | Newman, Kathryn Calder | 3:51 |
| 4. | "This Is the World of the Theater" | Case | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Darling Shade" | Newman, Case | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Second Sleep" | Newman | 3:14 |
| 7. | "Colosseums" | Newman | 3:15 |
| 8. | "We've Been Here Before" | Newman, Case, Calder | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Juke" | Newman | 3:29 |
| 10. | "Clockwise" | Newman, Case | 3:14 |
| 11. | "Avalanche Alley" | Newman | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 41:33 | ||
Personnel
edit- Carl Newman – vocals, guitar
- Neko Case – vocals
- John Collins – bass
- Blaine Thurier – keyboards, synthesizer
- Todd Fancey – lead guitar
- Kathryn Calder – vocals, keyboards, guitar
- Joe Seiders – drums, vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] | 82 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 35 |
References
edit- ^ "The New Pornographers Announce New Album Whiteout Conditions, Share "High Ticket Attractions"". Spin. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "New Pornographers Announce 'Whiteout Conditions' LP, Release 'High Ticket Attractions' Single". Spin. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "Whiteout Conditions by The New Pornographers reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for Whiteout Conditions by The New Pornographers". Metacritic. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Whiteout Conditions – The New Pornographers". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Adams, Erik (April 7, 2017). "The New Pornographers' computer blues are missing a crucial component on Whiteout Conditions". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dave (April 6, 2017). "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions review – euphoric powerpop pile-up". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (April 5, 2017). "Album reviews: Father John Misty – Pure Comedy, Jamiroquai – Automaton, Imelda May – Life Love Flesh Blood, and more". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions". Mojo. No. 282. May 2017. p. 88.
- ^ Anderson, Stacey (April 8, 2017). "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ Segal, Victoria (June 2017). "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions". Q. No. 372. p. 110.
- ^ Winograd, Jeremy (April 3, 2017). "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen (May 2017). "The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions". Uncut. No. 240. p. 36.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (April 7, 2017). "The New Pornographers Soar and Conor Oberst Grows Up: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Gord Downie, Tragically Hip both make cut as Polaris Prize long list revealed". Toronto Star, June 13, 2017.
- ^ "The New Pornographers Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "The New Pornographers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.