Broken Social Scene: Broken Social Scene

admin on Dec 10th 2005

A densely layered album, it doesn’t take long to realise there are more than a few members of Broken Social Scene – fourteen (plus guests), on this particular outing. With a thick, full-blooded sound, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into on their self-titled third album, easily one of the most cohesive releases of the year.

Moving from the overflowing instrumental opener “Our Faces Split the Coast in Half” into the lush, sweeping “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day),”as things begin to build up even further, there seems to be a similar dynamic to Sufjan Stevens’ “Illinois,” with a broad, grandiose mixture of elements bustling things along nicely. Meanwhile, the pulsating rock of “7/4 (Shoreline),” with its waves of male and female sing-along harmonies, will draw inevitable comparisons to the band’s compatriots The Arcade Fire.

“Windsurfing Nation” marks a midway dip in form in what has otherwise been an outstanding album thus far; while the presence of artificial chopping and changing has been there all way through, this is its allocated time to shine, but instead it’s an unwelcome stopover where some unexpected rhymes courtesy of Toronto rapper K-Os sour the momentum somewhat. Similarly, Leslie Feist continues to underwhelm with her ineffective contributions to “Swimmers,” the refrain of “If you’re always sleeping late, you’ll never be on time” not quite cutting the standard that the band have already set for themselves.

For a moment, one fears that too many cooks may ultimately spoil the broth here, but fortunately, things are soon back on course with the Sam Prekop feel to “Handjobs for the Holidays,” and by the pounding “Superconnected,” Broken Social Scene have proven that they are far better when they just get down to rocking. Perhaps destined for a similar success to The Arcade Fire, this album is one of the most well-formed of the year, and the band will surely make for an intense live act without the bells and whistles of their ostentatious production values.