My Top 1000 Songs #756: Brill Bruisers

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.] 

The New Pornographers' Carl Newman isn't afraid to go big, packing even the band's most straightforward songs with dense arrangements and unpredictable melodies, steering clear of more comfortable power pop. But the title track off 2014's Brill Bruisers goes particularly big--over-the-top bombast that calls to mind the unabashed prog theatricality of the Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin, while still in service of absurdly catchy pop hooks. The sound pushes the reverb to the limit, while the Bo-Ba, Bo-Ba-Ba-Bo vocals feel downright physical and in your face. The drums crash hard, essentially a re-purposed "We Will Rock You" beat, with some wiggly Moog-y lines to help prog it up. Pop bombast never sounded so massive and ecstatic.

Live on Letterman:

Live 2015: