Broken Social Scene

About Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene started as a basement recording project between Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning in Toronto around 1999. What began as two guys messing around with loops and samples turned into something much larger and more unwieldy. They released "Feel Good Lost" in 2001, an instrumental album that most people haven't heard, which is fine because what came next is what actually mattered.

"You Forgot It in People" arrived in 2002 and changed Canadian indie rock. The album had this sprawling, communal approach with about fifteen musicians rotating through, including members of Do Make Say Think, Metric, and Stars. Songs like "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" and "Lover's Spit" proved they could do delicate and devastating, while "KC Accidental" showed they were equally comfortable with walls of sound and controlled chaos. The album got them attention beyond Toronto's Queen Street scene and basically made Arts & Crafts Records a legitimate label.

They followed up with "Broken Social Scene" in 2005, sometimes called the self-titled but often referred to as the one with the orange cover. It was bigger in every sense. "7/4 (Shoreline)" became one of those songs that defined a specific moment in mid-2000s indie rock. The record went gold in Canada, which meant something back then. They played festivals, did the late-night TV circuit, became the kind of band that visiting music journalists would write about as evidence that Toronto had a real scene happening.

The collective approach was always both their strength and their complication. Members would leave to focus on solo careers or their main bands. Feist became famous. Emily Haines had Metric. Amy Millan had her own thing. Leslie Feist singing on "Almost Crimes" or Emily Haines on "Anthems" weren't just guest spots; these people were in the band, except when they weren't because they were doing something else.

"Forgiveness Rock Record" came in 2010 after a longer gap. It was solid but felt like they were working harder to recapture something. They went quiet after that, with members scattering to various projects. A reunion album, "Hug of Thunder," showed up in 2017. It was better than it needed to be, less frantic than the early records but still recognizable. They proved they could still make a Broken Social Scene album when they felt like it.

They tour occasionally now, usually with a slightly different lineup each time. The early albums still hold up, particularly "You Forgot It in People," which sounds less dated than a lot of stuff from that era. They were never trying to be the biggest band around, which probably helped them avoid the kind of backlash that killed some of their contemporaries.

Their shows are controlled chaos with eight to twelve people on stage. Expect long instrumental passages where the crowd just watches, intently. The energy builds subtly rather than exploding. People talk less than at typical rock shows, actually paying attention.

Known for Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl, 7/4 (Shorelines), Feels Good, Cause = Time, Handsome Ghost

See Broken Social Scene Live