Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene is back with their best and most cohesive album to date. When last we found this Canadian collective, some of their cohorts and label mates (Stars, Feist, Metric) had not yet broken big. But now, when we hear the fiery Feist (Leslie Feist) vocals on the stunning standout, "7/4 (Shoreline)," you stand up and take notice. Throw in the lovely lush tones of Emily Haines (Metric) on "Swimmers" and suddenly Broken Social Scene seems ahead of its time, a home base of sorts for these successful offshoots.

At times this self-titled album sounds a bit chaotic, but it gels well on repeated listens. Some songs lead into others and the album flows together with no one member stealing the spotlight for too long. It sounds like a lot of creative people playing off each other in a small room. It's maybe what our generation's Big Chill soundtrack would be like.

Super groups are a funny thing. Maybe their combined security and power let the individual members let loose and try new things. Whatever the reason, we are the richer for it with this wonderfully eclectic batch of bombastic pop rockers and introspective instrumentals. Long live the collective. And look no further as to proof of Canada's musical dominance of late. - Jeff Kamin

In Canada, Broken Social Scene is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since wooing fans and critics alike with their 2003 Juno Award-winning album You Forgot It in People, the band's peculiar popularity has made them stars. The community that surrounds the 15-member-plus band is a family-like atmosphere with its many Canadian artists and musicians. When listening to Broken Social Scene, you also get the individual sounds of Feist, Stars, Memphis, Metric, and Apostle of Hustle, among others. It's camaraderie and education combined. The lush dynamic that carries Broken Social Scene's self-titled third effort is definitely built upon that. The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities. The mix isn't messy in conventional terms. It's artistically untidy without production boundaries. Album opener "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," which features the Dears' Murray Lightburn, makes a grand entrance with its polished horn arrangements, tight guitar riffs, and hypnotic harmonies. Additional standouts include indie rock moments such as "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the nervy "Fire Eye'd Boy." Handclaps and crowd chatter dosie-do with a sharp rock aesthetic on "Windsurfing Nation," which was the original title. Here, Toronto rapper K-Os and Feist vocally find their way through this majestic cinematic backdrop for one of its finest songs. From here, Broken Social Scene is a simply a rush of mini epics: "Handjobs for the Holidays," "Superconnected," and album closer "It's All Gonna Break" (this could have been a Nada Surf song) showcase how smart, creative, and brilliant this band truly is. Broken Social Scene are more than a collective; they're an orchestra for both the slacker generation and the literati. [The first pressing of the release includes the seven-track EP To Be You and Me.] ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide