In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers

By now you must have heard of the Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers. They’ve only ben around for some 22 years, and have released 8 albums in that time (not to mention the 25+ solo and other-group albums released over that same period by band members Carl Newman and Neko Case—and formerly Dan Bejar, from Destroyer—including some that have featured previously on the Top 31 in various forms). There’s not much more I can say about them that you haven’t heard from me before.

In the Morse Code of Brake Lights isn’t their best effort, but even their “just good not great” albums are better than most. Their 2017 album, Whiteout Conditions, didn’t make that year’s countdown, but their phenomenal 2014 album, Brill Bruisers, was at #18 that year. Neko Case is by far my favorite member of the band, and her last two solo albums have also been featured on the Top 31, at #17 in 2018, and #5 in 2013. Per usual, she features prominently on Morse Code.

“The Surprise Knock” is my favorite track on the album. The video above, for the song “Falling down the Stairs of Your Smile” is one of their less-dynamic songs, but the Neko-led chorus still kicks ass. Give the whole thing a listen—if you’ve liked the New Pornographers in the past, you’ll find the formula continues to work quite well on this album, too.

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31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

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