A hybrid of post-punk and power pop

Porcupine’s sound is difficult to classify—not due to any overwhelming idiosyncrasy, but because they use a wide-ranging collage of rock styles. On their fifth studio album, the Minneapolis-based trio effectively channels a variety of ’80s alt-rock genres, primarily post-punk and new wave, with a few ’70s-inspired riffs interspersed here and there to increase the record’s catchiness.

Though the legendary producer Steve Albini worked on their last release, Carrier Wave, Porcupine still haven’t gained much notoriety in the indie community. This may change, however, with the recent addition of bassist Greg Norton—previously a founding member of influential post-punk band Hüsker Dü—to the band’s lineup, which otherwise consists of frontman Casey Virock and Ian Prince on drums. Norton’s presence automatically invites comparisons between his previous band and Porcupine, not to mention that the third track of What You’ve Heard Isn’t Real is a cover of “Standing by the Sea,” written by the late Grant Hart for Zen Arcade. At some points, Porcupine does strongly resemble Hüsker Dü, though the former band’s sound is catchier while the latter has a far more experimental approach.

The list of other possible stylistic parallels for this album is practically inexhaustible: some of the songs could have been written by Paul Westerberg for a later Replacements or solo album, while the frequent hooks follow an example set by ’70s power pop bands like Big Star and T. Rex. “Lifetime” and “Tell Me,” which are respectively positioned as the first and penultimate tracks, both have flavors of neo-psychedelia and new wave (probably courtesy of Echo & The Bunnymen, whose third album is Porcupine’s namesake). These are only the most obvious comparisons; certainly, an abundance of other artists either directly or indirectly influenced Porcupine.

While the guitar is clearly meant to be the main focus of What You’ve Heard Isn’t Real, it is worth noting that Virock’s lyrics are often unmemorable; the most powerful words on the album appear on the “Standing by the Sea” cover. Juxtaposed with the inescapable turmoil that Grant Hart captures, Virock’s words seem fairly mediocre and generic. Thus the uninspired lyrics (which are not elevated by a lack of creativity in vocal delivery) take a backseat for most of the time and were probably written as an afterthought to the vigorous guitar riffs.

The album opens with its best song: the infectious, lively and vaguely angry “Lifetime.” Another standout track is the closer, a live cut called “Exit 180” that provides an unexpected infusion of garage rock. With the exception of “Standing by the Sea,” the rest of the album sounds very similar, though it remains enjoyable for the most part. Though What You’ve Heard Isn’t Real may not be the most compelling album in today’s indie scene, it will nonetheless satisfy alternative rock fans who are looking for a sound that recaptures some of the genre’s best offerings.