If after listening to Get Guilty you start wondering what the
difference is between A.C. Newman’s solo material and The New
Pornographers, you would not be alone. The whole feel and flow of this
(his second) solo disc is almost no different from his previous work on
the 2004 debut, The Slow Wonder.
Once again, what shines above all is Newman’s ability to stuff a
disc chock full of brilliant songwriting and melodic hooks that
instantaneously sink deep. Perhaps only lacking from the dynamic range
the other Pornographers bring to the table, Get Guilty‘s
production value is a little more understated, but overall more focused
than the band’s last release, Challengers.
Admittedly, there are times that you want Newman to push it just a
little more. Certainly “Prophets” and “The Changeling (Get Guilty)” beg
for Neko Case’s booming vocals to take over. And the closer, “All of my
Days and All of My Days Off,” feels like it needs a huge choral
arrangement to take it out.
But those moments are few and far between, and given that there are
at least four tracks that rank amongst his “best yet,” this disc only
further reinforces A.C. Newman’s reputation as one of the most clever
songwriters out there.
—Dave Hayden
This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2009.