I mentioned that there's a more cohesive sound to this album does that mean they've lost their grit? Well, if you loved BSS for their ultra fuzzy, ragged experimental songs that left you never quite knowing what to expect you might be a little disappointed. Again, the focus on trimming down, the involvement of a new producer (the album was co-produced by the band and Tortoise's John McEntire), means that it all sounds like it was giving BSS the band, not BSS the collective, some ownership of their music and the ability to say this is our sound, and not just the sound that's lent to us. While BSS alumni do make a return to the album, the way they lend their talents might be less obvious. This isn't quite a core-group-only set-up, but it almost is. In interviews you can tell that Drew is being careful about how he announces who was involved in this album. But with fewer people there can also be more focused ideas. Here, there's at least an attempt at a unified album).ĭid BSS lose something when it went from collective to band? Sure. There's just one auditory thread here, whereas previous BSS albums were more disjointed, with each rotating member leaving too much of their own stamp, and not enough team to stand behind one sound (Note: Previous albums rocked it, but it was more on a song by song basis. However, it is this newfound leanness that offers more fluidity to their songs, and ultimately the album is more cohesive. Of course, this is BSS, and they wouldn't be complete without cameo appearances from outside musicians - and the number of rotating musicians still outnumbers their core group. This time, BSS has whittled themselves down to a core group of six members. Previous line-ups have included members from many bands. Other songs on the album are less standout, and indeed, some may call them filler.īroken Social Scene is best known for its collective approach to music making. The repetitive hook acts as the chorus, and the rises and falls are just enough to keep things interesting. A standout song on the album is "Meet Me in the Basement," which is pure instrumental rock - you barely notice the lack of vocals, and when you do, you don't really miss them. For me it gets a little too weird on "Water in Hell", which goes from experimental fuzzy to country hoedown. "Sentimental X's" excels in its subtle crescendo. "Highway Slipper Jam" almost sounds like a Calexico meets Iron&Wine album. Broken social scene tour dates 2010 full#The beauty is in the diversity of their sounds: from the full throttle rollicking leads of Kevin Drew to the toned down hymns of Lisa Lobsinger who sings accompanied by string instrumentation. If those three songs stand out as the clear hit singles, where does that leave the rest of the album? These are the songs that immediately bring you in. There's a reason that "World Sick," "Forced to Love" and "All in All" were the first songs to leak: they carry the album. It sets quite the stage for what's to come. The opening song, "World Sick" is almost seven minutes long, and yet, its moments of epic musical swells, followed by quiet found sounds elements make it all worthwhile. While there is definitely some filler, I think this album deserves more than just a couple of listens. The new album is solid and there's more than one hit single within (the hit singles are obvious). It's been five year since the last full band Broken Social Scene album, and it might just have been worth the wait.
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