Broken Social Scene Self-Titled

I am so in love with this band right now. This Toronto menagrie of musicians successfully knocked Pinback out of their 3 1/2 year championship spot of "My Favorite Band" and have reigned supreme for a little over 6 months and still counting. 'Who or What Is Broken Social Scene' you ask? I think its time you learned.

They are avant-garde. They are a whirlwind tornado of artsy fartsy new hotness, that if thrown into a cockfight ring with Pretentious Revival Rock, they would win everytime. They are accoustic malady coupled with orchestratic rock with only a track # to separate the two. They are the riff jam kings and queens. They make banjos sound like rain drops that are running from a rainbow of percussion and noise. They are the soundtrack for both a quiet drive off into the sunset with friends and day spent inside with curtains closed to happiness and hope. They are two guitars, a bass, and drums making with the mid tempo rock. They are electronic synthesizers and ambient sounds bringing the background music. They are a piano and a voice reminding you of times better for some, worse for most.

They are fucking Airwolf.

This new album is exactly what I wanted to hear.

What you have is a collection of songs, each full of personality and character that stand on their own. "Our Faces Split The Coast In Half" starts the album out slowly with a bit of guitar strumming that quickly launches into a full on jam with horn section galore. Vocals drop in and you're off. "7/4 (Shoreline)" is another summer song much like "Pacific Theme" on You Forget It In People, but this time with a good dose of female vocals to lead you through. Another good song, "Fire Eye'd Boy", drives along with guitars leading the way while the snare pops and the high hat hisses into a tam consumed bridge of drummy kick ass-ness. There is straight forward rock standing right next to ambient noise. Its a very interesting collective of sound here which just might up end The Arcade Fire as the rulers of Art Rock Extravaganza.

Vocally this cd strays from You Forgot It In People as a good portion of the songs have layered male vocals that give away quite frequently to Emily Haines(or Leslie Feist, the linear notes don't really say) singing by herself right when the sing really pick up. A solid departure from what came before, where the songs were either male or female dominated without much of the mix of the two.

The key word here is "variety." There's alot here.

And to top all that off, you get a seven song EP that has a few remixes and a some new little electronic-induced bits that would fit perfect on Feel Good Lost. You really should buy this. Give it a listen or two and you'll see. Buy You Forgot It In People, too. If you like good tunes, you will thank me.

Now if only November 17th could come any sooner, I could be seeing this band live already...