The thing about pop music is that it is capable of hitting you like a ton of bricks. And really, that's its function. A good pop song can capture you within the first few bars, have you hooked by the first chorus, and seal the deal by its climactic end. Possessing the harnessed power of Cheap Trick and the simplified melodies of the Shins, the New Pornographers are a classifiable pop band, but make no mistake about it, they back up their appeal with some of the most finely crafted songs this decade has to offer, proving indierock is capable of so much more than, well, being "poppy."

Sickeningly, the New Pornographers make writing massive hook-ridden jams look effortless, as if creating perfectly crafted songs only takes the better part of chief songwriter A.C. Newman's afternoon. With charismatic Newman acting as the head of this indierock Voltron, the band also boasts a lineup including indie icons Dan Bejar (of Destroyer) and Neko Case. With such a star-heavy personnel, it would be silly to assume this will be anything but good, but when the end result comes out as a greater sum than the addition of the individual parts, it becomes clear just how amazing this band actually is, even if they make it look simple.

As well as they can write songs, and as talented musicians as they are, the bottom line, again, is that this is pop music. Sure, they're not chasing Fergie or Sean Kingston on the Billboard charts (indierock isn't quite at that level, yet), but that doesn't mean the sentiment isn't the same. Their verse-chorus-verse, stadium-ready tunes will either speak volumes to you or put you off entirely. And while it is up to you, the listener, to decide whether the band is hitting home runs or striking out, there is no denying that their swing is near perfect.