Already canonized as saints of North American indie rock, Broken Social Scene haven’t produced any true miracles since their 2003 breakthrough You Forgot It in People. Both their 2005 self-titled album, and Kevin Drew’s recent Presents presentation have suffered from an over-reaching ambitiousness that, while often effective at tugging the heartstrings, didn’t reach the heady cathartic highs the way You Forget It did so effortlessly. They are one of the Canadian collectives most understated but essential fixtures has been the permeating basslines of founding member Brendan Canning. Ever the foil to Kevin Drew’s more boisterous presence, it is perhaps Canning’s more humble nature that makes Something For All Of Us the closest they have swelled to their breakthrough’s high water mark.
While Canning may not be as overtly ambitious as his counterpart, he knows how to craft an anthem in the true Broken Social Scene style. Lead single Hit The Wall matches earlier heavy-hitters Cause=Time and Fire Eye’d Boy in the pounding percussion and hook-heavy stakes, while still maintaining that shy, retiring side courtesy of Canning’s ephemeral vocals. The album is a more adventurous than Drew’s album Spirit If. A quiet confidence and an experimental nature allows Canning to drive the rest of the collective to craft an unfamiliar post-punk track in Churches Under The Stairs and a sexy reggae-funk strut in Love Is New, pointing towards new possibilities for the band. For such a diverse spread of musicians, the band have always stuck to a characteristic sound. Canning’s album is vital in that the old template has been expanded and it has revitalized a band that was moving in all-too-predictable directions.
Not that the usual Arts and Crafts trademark tracks are lacking. Both the title track and Possible Grenade recall the band’s post-rock roots, while Been At It So Long slow-dances dreamily around boyish girly vocals, an insurmountable wall of reverb, and a heartbreaking brass section. Canning conducts his mini orchestra intelligently through moods and styles, resulting in an impressively layered and arranged collection that never feels over-deliberate, always pretty, but never ornamental or pristine, and a reminder just why Broken Social Scene are saints of North American indie-rock.
See Also: Broken Social Scene -You Forgot It In People [Arts and Crafts], Yo La Tengo – And The Nothing Turned Itself Inside – Out [Matador], Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust [Constellation]
Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning- Hit The Wall
