CMJ 2008: Day 4

Novillero | Mint Records showcase

For 15 years British Columbia’s Mint Records has quietly put out an eclectic roster of alt-country and power-pop albums, most famously as the initial home of The New Pornographers and Neko Case. Winnipeg’s Novillero follows in the tradition, playing smart synth/organ pop tracks with such calculated abandon, it recalls the earliest days of the Pornographers—when the "side project" played small clubs, drank heavily and started dance riots. So we shall refer to Novillero as The Old Pornographers for now. They played an admittedly boozy set at Fat Baby on the Lower East Side. Something about drinking since 1. They played at 9:30.