It's been five years since the last Broken Social Scene album. You might not have noticed between their numerous side-projects, guest appearances and solo releases. But they are back. And they are kicking ass.
Forgiveness Rock Record spans the better part of an hour and is all over the musical map. David Byrne's bizarre intonation on "Chase Scene," the epicality of Arcade Fired on "World Sick," the poppiness and oohwahoohs of Weezer on "Water in Hell."
But the group is also entirely their own on this new release. "Sentimental X's" has the overall brooding tone of Broken Social Scene's "Lover's Spit" except with Emily Haines' sexy voice instead of Leslie Feist's rueful romantic one. And on songs like "Sweetest Kill," they continue their tradition of innovation as Kevin Drew trades his indie rock star voice for a more quiet and intimate one.
It's this innovation that leads to tracks like "World Sick," which might be their best song ever. It bears resemblance to indie titans Arcade Fire and Sigur Rós with its anthemic climax. But it also has the intricate guitarwork and thundering drums that only BSS could make. "Highway Slippery Jam," another standout track, satisfies fans of mellow songs such as "Looks Just Like the Sun" and "I'm Still Your Fag," from You Forgot It In People. It also hits the spot for fans of Feel Good Lost, the group's first album and instrumental treasure, with its meandering, ambient bliss.
In short, the band continues its relentless march of innovation with their first release of the new decade. When I was writing for my high school newspaper, I was happy to get the word "eargasmic" published in a review of The Format. I used it to describe how pleasantly everything was arranged in that album. This is yet another release that falls under that category of great aural sex. (Available May 4 on Arts&Crafts)
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2010.