Track of the Day: 'Moves'

Sure, Arcade Fire is the hot Canadian band du jour, as they say in its native Montreal, but do you think they could drop the new bohemian facade long enough to come up with a video clip as wacky as The New Pornographers' new promo for "Moves"? I didn't think so.

Filmed in New York by WFMU's The Best Show host Tom Scharpling while the band itself was off galavanting around Australia, "Moves" is a 180-degree turn from the sobering clip for "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk." While that piece was produced in collaboration with Oxfam to highlight the plight of those living with the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill, "Moves" is a mock trailer for a New Pornos biopic with the band portrayed by comic talents like Superchunk's Jon Wurster, The Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac, and one of my fave character actors, Kevin Corrigan.

Bonus points go to fellow Matador act Ted Leo for doing drag as keyboardist/vocalist Kathryn Calder, who also has a wonderful and deeply personal record out right now, Are You My Mother? Sure, the fake trailer is ridiculous and over the top, but The New Pornographers' music is usually melodically OTT, and the rush of goofy images is matched by Carl Newman's onslaught of pop hooks while taking a sly jab at the generally overstuffed sound of indie pop these days. Plus, you've got to love a band that could at least consider the notion that they might one day implode in a cokey cloud of Fleetwood Mac-ian excess.

On iTunes: The New Pornographers / "Moves"