Challengers (album)

This article is about the 2007 album by The New Pornographers. For albums with similar titles, see Challenger (disambiguation).
Challengers
Studio album by
the New Pornographers
ReleasedAugust 21, 2007
Recorded2006–2007
StudioThe Seaside Lounge, Brooklyn, U.S.
GenreIndie rock, power pop, baroque pop
Length48:17
LabelMatador (U.S.)
Last Gang Records (Canada)
ProducerPhil Palazzolo, John Collins, A. C. Newman
The New Pornographers chronology
Twin Cinema
(2005) 		Challengers
(2007) 		Together
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[4]
The Guardian[5]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)B+[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork6.0/10[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Spin[11]

Challengers is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers, released on August 21, 2007.[12] The track listing for the album was revealed June 1, 2007.[13] A box set containing three blank CD-Rs, named "Executive Edition", was released August 7, 2007, two weeks before the album, with the promise of future multimedia to be downloaded at the band's website for fans to compile and burn their own CDs. The first disc included B-sides, demos and alternate versions; the second, titled "Live from the Future", featured live performances of songs related to the album; the third disc includes videos, photos and album artwork. The bonus material was available for download with the pre-orders of Challengers.[14] "Failsafe" is an A.C. Newman song first recorded commercially by the Canadian indie pop band the Choir Practice, and appeared on their debut album several months before the release of Challengers.[15]

Challengers debuted at number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 20,000 copies in its first week.[16] "Myriad Harbour" was #79 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[17] As of 2010 it has sold 109,000 copies in US and 16,000 copies in Canada.[18]

  1. ^ "Reviews for Challengers by The New Pornographers". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Challengers – The New Pornographers". AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Hyden, Steven (August 21, 2007). "The New Pornographers: Challengers". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Greenwald, David (August 20, 2007). "Challengers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Rogers, Jude (August 17, 2007). "New Pornographers, Challengers". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Jonze, Tim (August 14, 2007). "The New Pornographers: Challengers". NME. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. ^ Mitchum, Rob (August 20, 2007). "The New Pornographers: Challengers". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "The New Pornographers: Challengers". Q (254): 99. September 2007.
  10. ^ Hoard, Christian (August 23, 2007). "New Pornographers: Challengers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Wood, Mikael (September 2007). "For Mature Audiences". Spin. 23 (9): 136. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Carl Newman Reveals New Pornographers LP Details Archived May 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ New Pornographers Reveal Challengers Tracklist Archived June 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Pitchfork: New Pornographers Trick Out LP, Announce Fall Tour Archived June 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ New Pornographers Forum; Failsafe: history of a song- cbc radio3 podcast #125http://www.thenewpornographers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=863
  16. ^ Katie Hasty, "'High School Musical 2' Hangs On Atop Billboard 200", Billboard.com, August 29, 2007.
  17. ^ No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
  18. ^ "Will star power eclipse New Pornographers?". Reuters. 17 April 2010.