‘l WANTED SONGS THAT SOUNDED LIKE WE WERE DROWNING WHILE MAKING OUT'
rig”. ‘
Horde mee in
To sound as good as BROKEN SOCIg SCENE takes plenty of help. Camilla Pia celebrates the joys of this 34-legged collaborative musical behmoth.
ight indie foursomes may be all the rage right
now. but this 'l'oronto-based outfit comprising
some l7 members break the mould in more ways than one. While most of us while away time with mates in pubs and restaurants. Broken Social Scene. much like the Saddle Creek roster in Omaha which spawned Bright liyes and our very own Reindeer Section. make music together. You may know the characters from such bands as Do Make Say Think. Feist. Stars and Metric and drop in guests K- ()S. Murray Lightburn of the Dears and Weakerthans‘ Jason Tait. but put them together and they create a sound quite different to what we have come to expect from their own individual projects.
Formed in I999 by Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew. Broken Social Scene has since expanded to an ever-changing troupe of childhood friends. all equally happy to cross-pollinate in each others‘ live bands and studio recordings. 2002‘s lim forgo! It In P'op/e was their breakthrough release. garnering critical acclaim and and winning them a Juno Award — the Canadian equivalent of a Brit. Many say it also payed the way for the recent Canadian music invasion of acts such as Hot Hot Heat. Wolf Parade. the New Pornographers. DFA I979. the Stills. Black Mountain and. most successfully. Arcade hire. as record labels finally started to take notice of the country's rich talent. much like the Strokes-fuelled New York invasion and the post-Franz. Glasgow music scene frenzy.
However. with the release of their superb. self-titled third effort last month. the limelight is firmly back on the original innovators. Broken Social Seene is a
sumptuous and rather grand musical melting pot of strings. horns. guitars and semi-falsetto vocals reminiscent of the Flaming Lips and My Bloody Valentine in places. but with a groove and political message that is purely the band‘s own. Drew
described it as having ‘the chaos and the feeling of : drowning‘. and added ‘the beauty and the duvet j
smothering the vocals and the lips. I wanted songs that sounded like we were drowning while making out.’
Such famous alt.rock luminaries as Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis. Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse and our very own Bloc Party have come forward as fans of Broken Social Scene's recorded sound. yet it’s live when this extraordinary supergroup. once described as the ‘indie Wu Tang Clan‘. really come to life. Recent gigs featured a rotating cast of horn players. violinists. guitarists. singers and random percussionists. waiting in the wings to take their turn to contribute to the core half-dozen‘s onstage rumpus and it all makes for pretty powerful viewing.
With the future of the outfit looking decidedly uncertain — Drew and Canning have both recently announced they plan to ‘scale back‘ — this forthcoming Glasgow date may be our last chance to witness up close the majesty of Broken Social Scene in all its sprawling glory. so take advantage while you
can. ‘We need all of you to help us continue. Toronto :
thank you. Friends till the end.’ read the recent
album's sleevenotes. but where they go next is
anyone’s guess. You know what to do.
School of Art, Glasgow, Fri 17 Feb.
l I'
>l<
BST RCK, PO, JAZZ & FOLK
Kanye West To some he's a bumptious blowhard who needs to be dragged through a mucky puddle by his Louis Vuitton man bag. To others he's the missing link between hip hop madness and pop megalomaniac genius. See feature. page 14. SECC. Glasgow, Fri 17 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop) Broken Social Scene See preview, left. School of Art, Glasgow, Fri 17 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
" Phil Bancroft and David Milllgan The saxophonist and pianist team up in a duo for the first time. Jag Centre, The Lot. Edinburgh, Wed 77 Feb. (Jazz)
Nickel Creek This Californian trio take bluegrass and country traditions and invigorate them with fresh ideas and energy. Here's hoping they knock out their cover of Britney's 'Toxic', which is pure genius. Arches, Glasgow, Thu 16 Feb; Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Feb. (Folk)
Park Attack They've been living under the radar for some time but Park Attack's sound - the kind of tangled. detuned electro pop that threatens to collapse in on itself at any minute — shall see them break through in 2006. Stereo, Glasgow, Wed 22 Feb; The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 24 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
.2: Tom Bancroft Six-Pack The drummer debuted this excellent new band late last year as an vehicle for his compositions and the improvisational flair of the musicians. Jazz Centre, The Lot, Edinburgh, Thu 23 Feb. (Jay).
:1: The Aliens, Mammal and Pip Dylan Now here's a bill of top banana musical shindiggery. Former Beta Band blokes and other sundry chin strokin', Moog pokin' miscreants congregate to make you soul smile. See preview. page 63. Venue, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Feb; King Tut '3, Glasgow, Tue 28 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
16 Feb-2 Mar 2006 THE LIST 61