Whiteout Conditions

Some bands are smart and some are catchy, but few put intelligence and immediacy together like The New Pornographers. <i>Whiteout Conditions</i> extends the band’s remarkably consistent streak, diving further into the electronic textures explored on 2014’s <i>Brill Bruisers</i>—a sound that's poised but playful, powerful but polite. Singer Neko Case remains a tonic, landing library-ready lines like “All the phantom, by the nose they pass, you’re on your way to dine/They call you from their hiding places on the shoulders of your chance”, as though they were casual conversation.