broken social scene hug of thunder singers for each song

That means there’s not much breathing room on the album, and sometimes the songs bleed together and become indistinct without the sonic variation that their more experimental discursions provided, but it also makes the album sound like it’s constantly barreling forward. Where previous albums allowed space for longer epics or ambient interludes, Hug Of Thunder continues a streamlining that started on Forgiveness Rock Record: Every track on the album is a fully fleshed-out song and, whether it’s an anthem or a ballad, pretty much every song falls into one of those two categories. This is a tighter and more direct iteration of Broken Social Scene than we’ve heard in the past. Some of the best Broken Social Scene songs played off their conflicts with each other, though, which means that even the highest highs on Hug Of Thunder can’t touch the youthful alchemy of the collective’s best albums together - You Forgot It In People and their 2005 self-titled - but there is an urgency and restlessness to Hug Of Thunder that’s a little surprising given that all the members have seemingly settled down into adulthood. Time has a way of flattening out conflicts that maybe weren’t that big of a deal in the first place, and Hug Of Thunder comes across as an appreciation of the super-connection that all the band members share. Broken Social Scene sound more mature and leveled-out, a result of growing up and seeing all your friends grow up alongside you. On Forgiveness Rock Record, it sounded like some contributions were done begrudgingly as a way to keep the old ship sailing - see how the vocals for “Sentimental X’s” were recorded separately it was the first time all three lead female vocalists appeared on a track together, but it also felt oddly anti-climactic for what it should have represented - but there’s a palpable sense of community on Hug Of Thunder. They’re more cohesive this time around and present a more united collaborative front. Kevin Drew slid into the role of director, and while the idea of ceding control and trusting each other’s instincts has been part of the makeup of the band since the beginning, Forgiveness Rock Record had a paint-by-the-numbers approach that made the collective’s chemistry feel more studied than naturalistic. There were high points for sure - “ Sentimental X’s,” “ Forced To Love,” and “ All To All” in particular - but the album also sounded disjointed in a way that they never had previously. Forgiveness Rock Record also came on the heels of a long break in-between albums (five years, to be exact), but it felt constrained by each member’s varying levels of success and availability.

When we last heard from the Canadian collective, they were probably due for a bit of a breather. “Looking at the general state of the world right now, we knew that putting our unified friendship out there was a great protest that we could do,” band ringleader Kevin Drew said in a recent interview, and he’s totally right: Broken Social Scene’s mere existence at this point feels at odds with a world that’s increasingly fractured and disconnected, and because Hug Of Thunder’s ambitions are simple, it means the execution is right on point. They prefer a more hands-off approach to publicizing their music, wagging their finger at society but never getting too involved, preferring to let their art speak for itself. Instead, Hug Of Thunder is just a refreshing and welcome excuse for a bunch of old friends to get the gang together again and create some solid songs that don’t reinvent the wheel but hit often enough to justify these people’s continuous orbit around each other. Contrast the unassuming returns of these early-’00s artists that deliver the goods with some of the louder returns that might not - those of infinite content loops and incessant teasing - and it’s pretty easy to spot the difference.īroken Social Scene have never been a cynical group, especially when it comes to their music, and there’s no performative trolling to be found in its expansive lineup. In the past months, we’ve had stellar comebacks from Feist and Do Make Say Think, and new albums from Emily Haines and Stars are on the horizon. In fact, there’s been a lot of music this year that has served as a reminder of the longevity and potency of the ragtag crew that ushered in the Bush years.

After seven years away, Broken Social Scene have returned with Hug Of Thunder, an album that’s a galvanizing reminder of the strength of the Toronto indie-rock scene.

Broken social scene hug of thunder singers for each song