You could easily mistake some New Pornographers material for Neko Case solo work, such is the central command of her vocals, not to mention the cross-over between the two of other performers. As a general rule, though, the heavier it is, the rockier it is, the more like it is to be a New Pornographers effort. The lighter, sparser works tend to be solo Case.

Crash Years is from The New Pornographers fifth album, Together, released in 2010. The album had the tricky job of re-establishing the band after the somewhat disappointing Challengers. It’s an objective largely, but not completely met. With The New Pornographers, there is always the nagging feeling that the result is not quite the sum of the parts, even when that result is as satisfying as Crash Years.