After an atmospheric instrumental opening harking all the way back to Feel Good Lost, the band kicks in with the anthems. The band has been mostly silent, studio-wise, since 2010's Forgiveness Rock Record - the various members of its loose-knit roster keep themselves busy in other high-profile acts such as Feist, Stars and Metric, not to mention the occasional solo album - but the Toronto collective is at last set to return with its fifth full-length, Hug Of Thunder (out July 7 on Arts & Crafts).įeaturing all 15 original members of the band (Broken Social Scene has never done minimal), Hug Of Thunder does not skimp. The group's ambient, experimental 2001 debut, Feel Good Lost gave way to the wide-angle vision of its 2002 breakthrough, You Forgot It In People, an album of giddy highs and moody lows. Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)Ģ0.Courtesy of the artist Broken Social Scene, Hug Of Thunder.īefore taking a break of seven years from releasing albums, Broken Social Scene established itself as one of indie rock's most epic practitioners. TBD (Ariel Engle solo song…no title, lyrics include ‘never gonna forget’)ġ8. Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse (live debut)ġ4. I could have listened to a few more songs and been completely content.įind the setlist posted below along with a full gallery from both performances.Ģ. Lead singer Andrea Lo has a beautiful voice that really hit some powerful notes, and the funky arrangements took me by surprise in a good way. Vancouver pop outfit The Belle Game opened things up with a short but sweet set. Judging by the look on most of the crowd’s faces, most everyone left the show invigorated and ready to take on life anew. (After seeing what Uncle Sam took from me in taxes this year, you better believe it felt great to let out my frustrations with those shouts.) The band’s enthusiasm swept over and spread to the crowd seamlessly. He even led the crowd in a giant session of scream therapy where we just yelled as loud as we could for 30 seconds. Drew emphasized that optimism trumps pessimism, the need to stick together, to be there for each other, and to not give up hope. The thing that stood out the most to me, though, was how uplifting, even therapeutic, the show was. They ended with a wild wall of sound by playing “Meet Me in the Basement,” which gave everyone one last opportunity to jump around and just experience something. They busted out “7/4 (Shoreline)” out very early and kept the favorites like “World Sick,” “Texico Bitches,” “Ibi Dreams of Pavement,” “Cause = Time,” “Sweetest Kill,” and of course “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year Old Girl” during the encore (during which the ladies of The Belle Game joined). There was, of course, plenty of old material for the longtime fans. Songs off Hug of Thunder like “Skyline,” “Protest Song,” “Stay Happy,” and “Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse” (making its live debut) all took the best parts of Broken Social Scene and synthesized them with some new flourishes. Hers was the most dynamic performance of the night, in my opinion. She even debuted a solo song of hers towards the end of the set that sounded great. Drew sounded terrific, essentially studio quality, and newcomer Ariel Engle was more than capable of handling all of the workload for female vocals. It was a utilitarian dream on stage, and it worked to great effect. Members rotated around, taking turns on lead vocals and swapping instruments. During bigger moments, the band ballooned up to nine members (and it pushed 15 when opener The Belle Sound and some others jumped out during the encore). There was always plenty happening on stage. That energy showed throughout the evening as Drew and company ripped through a blistering set full of songs new and old with gusto. During the show, Drew talked about feeling rejuvenated, that even though it was the last night of the tour, they felt like they had the energy of 20-year-olds. I can’t think of a better way to describe a Broken Social Scene concert than that, especially the one I attended on Sunday, April 8th at the Wellmont Theater. If you’re staring at a screen, how do you have that? Where does that moment come into play? At the end of the day, you want to embrace people. You’re supposed to fucking talk to someone and put your hand on their shoulder and look into their eyes. Touch is as fucking connected as you can get. We’re trying to create that hug of thunder. …When Leslie came up with that title, it was undeniable to all of us. In an interview with Pitchfork promoting their latest album Hug of Thunder (released via Arts & Crafts), Broken Social Scene co-founder Kevin Drew responded thusly to a question about the record’s title:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |