Broken Social Scene

I like Broken Social Scene. I mean I reeeeeeeally like them. For those unfamiliar with the Canadian Behemoth an introduction in five steps.

1) Broken Social Scene is a collective with Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning as it’s core members. The two of them made the instrumental album Feel Good Lost in 2001. It has some nice songs but honestly as a whole isn’t that special.

Guilty Cubicles is my favorite from the debut, it sounds to me like spring after a heavy rainstorm. But that might just be me (mp3)

2) For their second (Juno-award winning) album they managed to collect an insane amount of talented people from the Canadian indie scene. In 2002 the Broken Social Scene really became a scene. It was followed by a collection of b-sides in 2004.

You Forgot it in People contained instant classics like the ever fresh Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix) (myspace)

And the haunting Lover’s Spit in piano version from Beehives (the b-side collection…obviously) (mp3)

3) In 2005 they came back with a self-titled album which featured even more collaborators. They remained as eclectic as ever and sounded even more complex and well…broken. They toured with a steady crew and a rotating cast. Fans were always dying to see which of the female vocalists would sing this time.

Broken Social Scene featured the ‘radio hit’ 7/4 (Shorelines) (mp3)

And was mashed with an R. Kelly song giving us this (which I lovingly refer to as Whorelines) (video)

The album also featured Hotel, a weird disco-y track that worked amazingly well live (mp3)

4) In the summer of 2006 BSS announced an undefined hiatus which bummed the hell out of me. The separate members wanted time for their own bands and solo-projects. But gradually I began to realize that this meant more output, albeit more fragmented. Virtually all members proved successful in their own rights.

Listen to Emily Haines’ band Metric with Empty (myspace)

Or to Amy Millan's band Stars with Your Ex-Lover is Dead (mp3)

Or to Do Make Say Think with The universe! (mp3)

Or to Feist’s I Feel it All (mp3)

5) When the singers from both Metric and Stars also made a solo-album I knew that it could take a very long time before we’d hear from the collective again. And although I generally love everything that is in some way attached to BSS the collective itself held a special place for me. But recently a new set-up was announced. There will be ‘BSS Presents’ albums with a primary songwriters who will get help from the BSS cast. First up is Kevin Drew whose album Spirit If will be released in September. In early june Brendan Canning will release his BSS Presents. My fear of a world without BSS were alleviated by the next song. Apparently the social scene has just been broken a bit more,but not broken down.

Listen to Kevin Drew’s Tbtf (too beautiful to fuck) while he eats breakfast and watches porn (download from his site)

Almost all the BSS members have the label Arts & Crafts as their home. Aside from the mentioned artists they have The Dears, New Buffalo, Phoenix, The Hidden Cameras, Apostle of Hustle, Jason Collet, Young Galaxy, Valley of the Giants, The American Analog Set, The Most Serene Republic and Los Campesinos!