A.C. Newman

A.C. Newman's second solo album is as grand and lush as anything by his superstar band, the New Pornographers. With help from guests Jon Wurster (Superchunk, the Mountain Goats), Mates of State and Nicole Atkins, the singer-songwriter clusters together lively cymbal beats, strings and horns with swirling guitar, pied piper flutes and graceful male-female harmonies. It's hard to find a dud in the bunch -- Newman nimbly meshes all these layers into a spirited mix that lands somewhere between the '60s psych rock of Love and the Zombies and the AOR that took over when all that tie-dye faded out.

Between his solo output and his work with the New Pornographers, Carl Newman has
turned out five records in six years &#8212 pretty prolific for a guy who seems to spend
loads of time crafting his songs. Newman's second solo album shuffles between power pop
and mild psychedelia while tossing in horns and coed harmonies. Get Guilty isn't quite as
consistent as a typical Pornographers record, but the arrangements are lusher.... More >