AC Newman – Get Guilty

Get Guilty – AC Newman

By Chris Peken

With so many different outputs for his musical talents, and an equally impressive record for releasing new material it is easy to take AC Newman for granted. Get Guilty is not another New Pornographers album, nor is it a side project. Where the NP’s blast forth in twists and pop turns, lavish productions and spiralling ideas that scream from your radio, AC Newman in solo mode isn’t afraid to scale things down. The highlight, The Heartbreak Rides is a slow building pop tune that is half over before the rhythm section joins, and a Car’s like keyboard underpins Newman’s increasingly confident vocals. And confidence is Newman’s byword here, unafraid to let his songs sit quietly in your sub-conscious, knowing that with time you will come to realise their true value. One should never take a well crafted pop record for granted, a grower to start off the year.

*** 1/2