In the liner notes of the New Pornographers' debut album, "Mass Romantic," the anonymous band member who wrote them betrays confidence that the record is a good one while continually confessing that most of the details -- such as who played what on which track -- are not clear. The album was recorded over a period of four years by various musicians in Vancouver, Canada, all of whom had other, supposedly more stable gigs. Even the cover art, of a man and woman making love outdoors with a ram looking on, was unattributed, bought off a friend who couldn't remember where he got it.
Accidents will happen, and the fortunate confluence of talents that made "Mass Romantic" a masterpiece also provided the participants with a windfall: They toured the album for two years. With their second record, "Electric Version," they present themselves as a bona fide band.
Fortunately, the irreverence that made their debut so appealing has not been neutralized by a more efficient production schedule. Centered mainly on the songwriting of Carl Newman from the power pop band Zumpano, the album bristles with fresh melodic ideas and quirky arrangements that do more inventive things with four-part harmonies and keyboard-guitar interplay than anything since Todd Rundgren left the Nazz.