First Impressions: Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us.

Based entirely on the impressions of them that I've garnered from seeing them on stage of the core duo in Broken Social Scene I've always found Brendan Canning to be a bit more appealing. Kevin Drew seems really full on in a earnest but probably a likeable and decent guy sort've way, like a tolerable Bono. His buddy Canning on the other hand, he's always appeared to be a lot more laid back. But more importantly he resembles a faun; his curly mop of hair, goatee and slightly odd speaking voice all remind me of watching the TV serial of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe as a kid. If I ever see him playing panpipes I might have to kidnap him and keep him as a pet. Or I might try to defy the laws of God and man in an attempt to splice his genes with a goat (apparently staging a teleportation "accident" would also get the job done but the technology isn't there yet. Nope, it's gene splicing all the way).

Following on from Kevin Drew's Spirit If Canning's Something For All Of Us is the second installment in the "Broken Social Scene Presents:" series, which, depending on how you look at it, is possibly a cynical way of getting extra publicity for various members of the collective's solo ventures by tacking the BSS label onto the name, or a way of taking the pressure off of themselves by saying that it's not a proper Broken Social Scene record (despite the fact that most of the people who played on it have featured on full BSS recordings). Setting aside my own cynicism and habit of making snide comments about people whose talents I do admire though I must say that this is the best album since You Forgot It In People to have the Broken Social Scene named attached to it. I've found the 2 other records they've made since YFIIP to be really frustrating listens. There's some good (occasionally brilliant) songs to be found on Broken Social Scene and Spirit If but those records at times seemed a little unfocused and sloppy, more seriously some of the songs from those records should have been culled outright on quality control grounds.

Canning's record doesn't suffer from those problems. This is an album comprised mostly of the type of song that Broken Social Scene do really well. It's a consistent sounding album, unapologetically lo-fi, there's only 2 songs "Spectacles And Icicles" which sounds a little like Jim O'Rourke circa Eureka and disco workout "Love Is New", which is a vast departure from anything that the band has done before, that deviate from the fuzzy template. The latter song by the way is the only truly weak song on the album and as ever (I feel somewhat that I've been hammering on this point a lot of late, ever since I started my most recent Guided By Voices inspired "I don't care about clean production" kick in fact) that's the important thing.

MP3: Brendan Canning - Possible Grenade from Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us.

If you're going to Broken Social Scene on Tuesday.

You've made a bad call, great as they are they've been here loads already and Sunset Rubdown are playing their debut Irish gig that night. (Also No Age are playing a late show upstairs in Whelans, doors at 10:30 but I'd sooner see BSS then them).

But the main reason for this post is to say that Broken Social Scene will be playing one of their mammoth gigs on Tuesday. 3 hour set, no support, band on at 8.

So now you know.

New music from Broken Social Scene - ish

From the next in the Broken Social Scene Presents ... series. A song from Brendan Canning's forthcoming solo album.

Here.

Broken Socal Scene play Vicar St. on May 20th.

Broken Social Scene presents: Kevin Drew - Tripod

This man eventually figured out that wearing socks on your arms wasn't a look that worked well for him.

I can't put my finger on precisely when it was but there was a point during Broken Social Scene last night, probably sometime after "Superconnected" but before the cheesy but all in good fun "Where The Streets Have No Name" cover where I switched from being a little non-plussed about the gig and began to really enjoy myself. Part of me thinks it's because as the gig went on they began dipping into the BSS back catalog more and more and for the most part I think that material is stronger than the majority of Spirit If . But part of it I now realise was because Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning are so earnestly likable on stage that I almost wanted to enjoy it FOR them.

It's kind of a an odd phenomenon, and normally one I only experience when I go and see friends of mine play; I like my friends (duh) so I really do want them to be good, I want them to succeed, so I clap and I cheer more than I might, not faking it but rather to help put them at ease and to encourage and relax them. Truth be told Broken Social Scene don't need that kind of encouragement from me, You Forgot It In People pretty much kick-started the pitchfork Canadian wankfest of recent years when it was released and it remains one of my favourite albums of the decade. And it's not like Spirit If is a bad record, it's full of low key jams and it's got the same lovely kitchen sink feeling I get from other BSS records, it's just that it's almost all low key with not much to kick me up the hole like "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement" or "7/4 shoreline" or "Almost Crimes" or "Time = Cause" does.

I dunno, it's almost impossible for me to put into words what I'm on about, which probably means that I shouldn't be writing this post. All I know is that the 3 times I saw Broken Social Scene last year they swept me away in a tidal wave of energy and sound from the off which was a little lacking from them last night. Perhaps it's due to familiarity becasue it was still a super gig, but the one in the Temple Bar Music Centre 18 months ago was one of those nights that made me realise why I love music as much as I do. And perhaps it's unfair to try to judge last night against those standards, but doing so can't be helped. In short, last night I was at a great gig for any other band's standards, but for this band ... they've been better.