Knitting Confidential: Testament to youth in verse

In spite of the disreputable name the band chose, The New Pornographers rank among my favorites. Their pop songs via indie rock give the experience of being pummeled by wave after wave of balsamic vinegar, to make a weird analogy. (What I'm getting at is there's acid cutting the sweetness and a sense of being battered by the muscular chords and strong rhythms.)

It's been two years since they were last in town, so I was excited to see them again in concert. As a bonus, they had an additional member tagging along who wasn't here in 2008. (This also meant nine members were on stage at one time, which appealed to my fascination with extremely large bands.) I looked forward to this show as a nice end to the day that officially finishes the academic year and a time to kick back and take a breath or two.

And how. Maybe it was being so close--and having some room due to snagging a rare chair at a table at the general admission club show--but I was completely absorbed in song after song of perfection or close to it. ("The Bleeding Heart Show", which closed the main set, is one of the greatest songs ever. Seriously.) Suffice it to say that this group hits all the right spots for me. For something that first appeared to be a side project, I'm kind of amazed that they've become pretty successful, at least on the level of indie bands.