With a 20-person group behind their name, a cacophony of instruments and guests like Stars, Metric, Raising the Fawn, The Dears and Julie Penner, Broken Social Scene is able to create some of the most aurally satisfying and interesting music that I've ever heard. Its array of instruments may be difficult for the listener to decipher, but sifting through the noise is definitely worthwhile.
As far as genres go, BSS can be categorized as experimental indie rock. In case that label threw you for a loop, I'll break it down for you: The indie part means independent; the rock can mean rock or pop; the experimental part, well, that's pretty much self-explanatory. The BSS fills that last requirement to a T.
I feel it may be slightly unfair to mention their classification, as BSS dabbles in many different genres. In their last album, You Forgot it in People, there were jazzy tunes, pop-like pieces, songs with wild guitars that sounded like sitars and vocals that rang like sirens. Their newest release, simply titled Broken Social Scene, shows a better command of those same sitar guitars and siren vocals that BSS has become known for. Songs like "Superconnected" (my personal favorite) and the opening track, "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," showcase this musical medulla.
Unlike their second album, this self-titled release is decidedly more upbeat. The first and second albums had several slower songs, the most notable being "Anthem for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" and "Lover's Spit." The only slow songs you'll find this time around are ones underscored by notes that never stop moving and percussion that keeps your foot tapping. One such piece is "Bandwidth," a soft song with beautiful vocal layering and nearly constant snare rhythms.
Their last release was a collection of songs the band considered B-sides, with unreleased material dating as far back as their first album. As the members of BSS approached this third album, it seems they were overflowing with new ideas because they also released a limited edition EP. Titled For You and For Me, it focuses more on the band's instrumental, experimental side with very few vocal tracks. The first track includes vocals, but no words at all. As a result you'll find yourself transported to some fog-filled dreamscape where everything is covered with a layer of delightful introspection and wonder.
Both the EP and the album truly transport you outside of your body and deep into the recesses of your aural landscape, where any thought the music leads you to is paradigm-shattering. Some would characterize the band as noisy and incoherent with their bugle fanfares, strings and guitars, but if you hang onto the melody, you'll find your way through -- accept the insanity and you might discover that it sounds better than you ever imagined.
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