“Protest Song” delivers what we’ve come to expect from BSS and is some of their finest work. She sings “You’re just the latest in a long list of lost loves, love,” harrowingly cutting lyrics that would curse any ex into months of gloom. Not actually a real protest song, its lyrics are cryptic yet powerful. It features a wall of sound with layers of guitars and effects, but never feels bombastic. Take “Protest Song,” a neatly structured pop song with plenty of musical complexities. Unlike the (dare I say overrated) aforementioned Quebecois band, these Ontarians rely on their own songwriting abilities to fill a track rather than grandiose, pretentious arrangements. Yet, Hug of Thunder avoids the melodrama and eccentricity that basically launched the more commercially successful Montreal-based Arcade Fire.
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PROTEST SONG FULL
“Halfway Home” in particular, however, stands out as being especially triumphant, a lot like a musical embodiment of a post-tennis match victory celebration: not in-your-face but still full of emotion. But whereas “Capture the Flag” fades gracefully into “KC Accidental,” immediately after “Sol Luna” we’re hit with a quick burst of energy with “Halfway Home.” And this sets up Hug of Thunder quite well, considering the album maintains a surging pace for most of its 52 minutes.
“Sol Luna,” the album’s instrumental intro, reminds me a lot of “Capture the Flag,” the intro to their ambitious magnum opus You Forgot It in People. And even though their political leader is less orange and more progressive than ours, even Canada could use some BSS-induced optimism that we all love them for. Following their 2010 release Forgiveness Rock Record, Hug of Thunder is a warm and uplifting addition to darker times.
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PROTEST SONG SERIES
Thankfully, those fears were put to rest earlier in May, though after a series of performances last year, the announcement wasn’t overwhelmingly surprising. Because I think we've always been a band that's been a celebration." True to his word, Drew and company have rendered Hug Of Thunder exactly that.Hug of Thunder comes as a surprise for fans who thought they would never hear another BSS album.
In a recent interview, Broken Social Scene's de facto leader Kevin Drew cited the Paris terror attacks of 2015 as a wake-up call, one that spurred the group's return: "It just sort of made us want to get out there and play. That doesn't mean, however, the group isn't reacting to the less-than-ideal state of the world. Rather than angry, it's a bittersweet confection that dissolves into a breakneck bridge of soaring guitar heroics. Similarly, the title of "Protest Song," one of the album's standout tracks, is not indicative of its sound. She's more downbeat, yet no less evocative, on the elegantly brooding "Victim Lover." "Gonna Get Better" belies its title by sticking to a subdued groove and a swirling, contemplative tone - the feeling of flipping through folders of old photos, letting the rush of memories come. A member of the offshoot AroarA with Broken Social Scene's Andrew Whiteman, she lends piercing elation to "Stay Happy," a burst of symphonic pop with a massive yet laid-back beat. When it comes to a mix of ethereality and strength, new vocalist Ariel Engle is no slouch.
Later on, the album's celestial title track erupts into a typically majestic chorus, complete with lit-major attention to storytelling and symbolic detail, led by Broken Social Scene breakout star Leslie Feist who pulls off a Kate Bush-level of otherworldliness.
"Halfway Home" is an upward spiral of a song, buoyed by washes of orchestral euphoria and weightless, male-female harmonies worthy of My Bloody Valentine. 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. 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.
0 kommentar(er)
