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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Broken Social Scene are a Canadian collective made up of members of established Toronto bands such as A Silver Mt Zion, Stars and Do Make Say Think. The crew caused a splash in 2002 with their formidable You Forgot It In People, which went on to win a Canadian JUNO. The subsequent pressure for a follow-up has been immense but they’ve managed to come up trumps with this eponymous offering.
Producer Dave Newfeld nurtures the same meticulously shambolic production style that made YFIIP such a messy joy, encouraging the band to embrace an even more sprawling and inventive aesthetic. Tracks "bleed" into one another like Rothko colours, but the sheer amount of people involved--ten key members plus several guests including Feist and rapper K-Os--lend the project a quite astonishing diversity. Despite a dense squall of sound often obscuring lyrics and sonic detail, the collective’s sub-pop chops consistently ring out in a triumphant flurry of catchy hooks, hypnotic riffs and compelling melodies. As big as the sky and as fluid as a dream, Broken Social Scene is that rare thing: an experimental album that actually rocks. --Paul Sullivan
Product Description
CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By R. P. Greenhalgh
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
My recommendation is to get the CD+EP version. It is beautifully packaged with an extra EP; it will possibly cost you little, if any, more.
If you liked Broken Social Scene 'You Forgot It In People' then in all probability you will wish to hear this too, but I guess you already know that. If you like any/all of Stars, Metric and Feist you need this – as Amy Millan, Emily Haines and Leslie Feist provide almost all the female vocals here, backed up by Torquil Campbell (Stars) on male vocals and a whole host of talented musicians who all come and go with the tracks, for Broken Social Scene is a ‘collective’ and not a ‘band’.
Something in me tells me that, as such, it shouldn’t really work as a cohesive unit but the undeniable fact is that on this album it does – so much so that, despite my original intention, I’ve now decided not to name tracks – it is an album best listened to in its entirety. As you might expect it is an album that generally wears its heart on its sleeve. It does often have a fairly clear political edge – that is predominantly anti-war, anti-Bush – which is hardly surprising given the conspirators previous convictions.
If you liked Broken Social Scene 'You Forgot It In People' then in all probability you will wish to hear this too, but I guess you already know that. If you like any/all of Stars, Metric and Feist you need this – as Amy Millan, Emily Haines and Leslie Feist provide almost all the female vocals here, backed up by Torquil Campbell (Stars) on male vocals and a whole host of talented musicians who all come and go with the tracks, for Broken Social Scene is a ‘collective’ and not a ‘band’.
Something in me tells me that, as such, it shouldn’t really work as a cohesive unit but the undeniable fact is that on this album it does – so much so that, despite my original intention, I’ve now decided not to name tracks – it is an album best listened to in its entirety. As you might expect it is an album that generally wears its heart on its sleeve. It does often have a fairly clear political edge – that is predominantly anti-war, anti-Bush – which is hardly surprising given the conspirators previous convictions.
The bonus EP ‘To Be You and Me’ alluded to above, which is mostly much more biased towards electronica than the album it accompanies, starts with ‘Her Disappearing Theme’ on which the only vocals are distorted whispers. The abstract theme seems set to continue with the happy/harmless start of the next track, but during the first minute the mood changes entirely. Perhaps deemed too risky for the album itself this six-minute-long anti-war epic, ‘Canada vs. America’ evolves in a way that is surprising.
... Read more ›
By pallygary
Format:MP3 Download
Some dazzling stand-out tracks like 'Superconnected' and 'It's All Gonna Break' in other less-inspiring material. Having said, the quieter tracks start to grow on you. I don't think you'll listen this non-stop but you'll keep coming back to it.
By Mr. J. Burt
Format:Audio CD
Raw production, organic songwriting, addictive rythmns, great melodies. Every single song is musically dextrous and exciting.
Favourite tracks are Shoreline, Hotel, Swimmers, Windsurfing Nation. Its All Gonna Break is a great ender, a great rock out.
This is what music is about. More bands like BSS please!
Also good is the album 'You Forgot it In People'- this being the slightly better- but I highly recommend both as invaluable additions to any music collection.
Favourite tracks are Shoreline, Hotel, Swimmers, Windsurfing Nation. Its All Gonna Break is a great ender, a great rock out.
This is what music is about. More bands like BSS please!
Also good is the album 'You Forgot it In People'- this being the slightly better- but I highly recommend both as invaluable additions to any music collection.
By 77
Format:Audio CD
I assume that people were too busy listening to this collective's must more hyped not-actually-a-debut debut album to give this self-titled gem a fair listen. Or perhaps they were listening to some album called Funeral released the previous year? I don't know the reasoning, but this near-masterpiece has somehow been forgotten about, despite it being one of indie rock's greatest achievements over the past few years. Because 10 or so members wasn't nearly enough, Kevin Drew hired even more dopey Canadians with ridiculous hair to do his dirty work, and the result is one of the most explosive, gorgeous and downright sexy records my ears have ever heard. k-os's verse on 'Windsurfing Nation' is so ridiculously out-of-place, but it works! It all works! Culminating in 'It's All Gonna Break' - a kind of twee version of 'Sister Ray', but with even more sexually confused lyrics - Broken Social Scene is a truly fantastic record, and one that makes me shed a tear when I realise that England is producing nothing this exciting.
Yes, it's better than You Forgot It in People, and it's probably better than you too.
Yes, it's better than You Forgot It in People, and it's probably better than you too.
By Demob Happy
Format:Audio CD
Broken Social Scene are a very unusual band. A huge cast of musicians participate on this record in a democratic process that leaves the producers with a lot of work to do, trying to make sense of what can often sound like two or three songs playing at the same time. The result, on some of their more conventional indie tracks, is a cross between the laconic daze of Dinosaur Jnr and the warped intensity of My Bloody Valentine. However, they also excel at jazzy post-rock and - on this record - Prince-style R&B!
Whereas the overcrowded, shape-shifting production was a principle factor of their last (great) record 'You Forgot it in People', on this record it entirely defines it. Songs and melodies slip in and out of focus, revealing little galaxies of blurred notes and voices beyond the principal 'song' structures, time-signatures trip and flip; at moments it sounds like you are stuck between stations on an analogue radio dial.
The album opens with a the jazzy, shimmering alt-rock of 'Our faces split the coast in half', with a moody Bernard Hermann-style brass section and half-submerged vocals that sound like something sampled for a DJ Shadow record. Picking up where 'Pacific Theme' left off on the last record, this is one of the best tracks for me. 'Ibi dreams of pavement (a better day)' is one of their more raucous moments while '7/4 (shoreline)' is this album's 'Almost Crimes', an anthemic, sonic crowd-pleaser with Leslie Feist at the helm.
'Finish your collapse and stay for breakfast' is electronic noodling while 'Major label debut' show their more twee indie sensibilities. 'Fire Eye'd Boy' is another one to satisfy the indie kids, a fine piece of pop-hookery, but then it gets more interesting.... Read more ›
Whereas the overcrowded, shape-shifting production was a principle factor of their last (great) record 'You Forgot it in People', on this record it entirely defines it. Songs and melodies slip in and out of focus, revealing little galaxies of blurred notes and voices beyond the principal 'song' structures, time-signatures trip and flip; at moments it sounds like you are stuck between stations on an analogue radio dial.
The album opens with a the jazzy, shimmering alt-rock of 'Our faces split the coast in half', with a moody Bernard Hermann-style brass section and half-submerged vocals that sound like something sampled for a DJ Shadow record. Picking up where 'Pacific Theme' left off on the last record, this is one of the best tracks for me. 'Ibi dreams of pavement (a better day)' is one of their more raucous moments while '7/4 (shoreline)' is this album's 'Almost Crimes', an anthemic, sonic crowd-pleaser with Leslie Feist at the helm.
'Finish your collapse and stay for breakfast' is electronic noodling while 'Major label debut' show their more twee indie sensibilities. 'Fire Eye'd Boy' is another one to satisfy the indie kids, a fine piece of pop-hookery, but then it gets more interesting.... Read more ›
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good but noisy!
Great songs but my only criticism is that it's sometimes difficult to pick out the great tunes through the noise. There's a lot going on on this album almost constantly. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2007 by Mr. M. Read
3.0 out of 5 stars
What am i missing here?
What am i missing in BSS? It just sounds like uncomfortable noise to me, and this is distressing. Everyone i know, everyone who loves the bands i love, adores them. Read more
Published on 9 July 2006 by Thom
5.0 out of 5 stars
A pretty mess.
I picked this album up in my local 1up store just out of curiosity, i'd never heard any of their songs, heard no hype in the "big Spin" e.t.c. Read more
Published on 4 May 2006 by G. Neish
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gateway to all of Canada.
Canada is better than us. If the world is a school playground then Canada has just stolen the UK's girlfriend by being better and cooler, and who cares? Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2006 by futureman24
4.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
Broken Social Scene are one of those band that you either love or your hate them, I admit they are not for everyone but with a record like this you can appeciate how talented they... Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2006 by James
5.0 out of 5 stars
FANTASTIC ALBUM, BUT NOT ONE FOR MP3 PLAYERS
first of all this isn't me slagging off this brilliant album, it's beatiful, but the problem i share with you is that whilst i have been listneing to it on my ipod, i have relized... Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2006 by D. I. Dodd
4.0 out of 5 stars
:plastic: BSS fan
This was the first Broken Social Scene album that I have listened to. I bought it after reading one review, and didn't really know what to expect. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2006 by Harold Bishop
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Scene that could have done with some judicious editing
Canada is now the coolest, grooviest place on the planet right?…..Thanks to bands like The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2006 by russell clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Imagine a patchwork quilt. Expansive, eclectic; bearing the touch of numerous caring benefactors. It has scores of different colours, textures and techniques; brought together to... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2006 by Michael Chance
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