This Scene Isn't Broken
How will the second Broken Social Scene Presents hold up?
Don't let the headline fool you. This isn't a Broken Social Scene record. What it is, is the solo work of Broken Social Scene founding member Brendan Canning; aided by members of the band. Since Canning was one of the two people who started the band, his work and Broken Social Scene's work are very similar.
The ginormous collection of individuals that makes up Broken Social Scene coalesced in Toronto in 1999 when there were far fewer members. Upon original inception, the band really only consisted of founding members Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew. However, with the help of a few of their friends, they recorded and released Feel Good Lost, the debut Broken Social Scene album. It was when they began to play live shows that they realized that it was difficult to put on an entertaining show as a duo, when Feel Good Lost was almost completely an instrumental album. It was this realization that moved Canning and Drew to recruit some help - a lot of help. At current count the band totals 21 musical contributors, they aren't called members because with the exception of Drew and Canning they just show up to the shows they're able to make and contribute when they can.
A year after Feel Good Lost, You Forgot It in People was released. The second album featured many experimental techniques and a large number of instruments. It was loved by critics and won a Juno Award, basically Canada's version of a Grammy, for "Alternative Album of the Year". Almost three years to the day from the release of their second album, Broken Social Scene released their self-titled third effort which, like its predecessor, won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
2007 saw the release of the first Broken Social Scene Presents… album, showcasing the solo work of Kevin Drew. The album received a warm reception from critics, and one of its songs, "Backed Out on the…" was #33 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best songs of 2007.
From the beginning, Something for All of Us makes it pretty obvious that you're listening to one of the two guys responsible for Broken Social Scene. The similarities are enough to draw you in, at which point Canning distances himself slightly from the sound of Broken Social Scene and stretches his musical legs with tracks that range from ethereal to flat out rocking. An unmastered version of the album leaked online in early June, to which Canning responded by releasing the album digitally himself, with the retail and online release still scheduled for July 22nd.
Overall Recommendation: Something for All of Us definitely warrants a listen. After hearing the unmastered version, it's obvious that the retail offering is going to be pretty freakin' awesome.
Posted by Cory Roop on Jul 21, 2008 @ 6:35 am