Rating: 5.6 / 10.0
This record is the first in a series of solo albums (the “Broken Social Scene Presents…” series; how apt) from the legendary Canadian indie-rock super group. Anyone who has listened to Broken Social Scene would rightly expect a thing or two from it, then. Kevin Drew is a critical member of the band, and in the end, that proves to be both the best and the worst thing about this record. He fails to meaningfully deviate from the sound of his main project, but lacks the support of its other, vital members. As such, this record, while a showcase of Drew’s exemplary songcraft, is somewhat thin, and sounds like a band trying to ape Broken Social Scene rather than the work of the brains behind that magnificent machine.
What should a Broken Social Scene side project sound like, then? Well, I can’t rightly answer that question. But I can tell you what it certainly should not sound like, and that is Broken Social Scene. What is remarkable about the band is the diversity of influences that come together to make the whole: whether it is the crafty, shimmering indie-pop Feist presented on “The Reminder,” or the Latin-infused groove of lead guitarist Andrew Whiteman’s exceptional “National Anthem of Nowhere,” released under the moniker Apostle of Hustle. Those side projects made me appreciate Broken Social Scene more, because they made me hear different aspects of the music, different facets of the sound. Drew’s record does no such thing. I hear Broken Social Scene minus Feist, Whiteman, Canning, et. al., which pales in comparison to the complete group’s work. The ambition is here, but the skill and diversity of ability to pull it off is absent, which proves to be this album’s tragic flaw (ALL of the drums sound like 7/4 Shoreline. Every damn track, I kid you not). The high points of the album are the places where Drew embraces the “solo” aspect of this project: “Broke Me Up” is a lovely, introspective tune that is clearly the work of a man who sounds glad to be working alone.
All in all, there are no really bad songs on this album. There are even quite a few good ones. It just fails to satisfy. Here’s the biggest problem with the record: after spinning it, I felt like I needed to go listen to Broken Social Scene so that I could hear “Spirit If…” sound the way it should. So I listened to “You Forgot It In People,” and found myself saying, “Oh, that’s what he was trying to do. I get it.” That compulsion did not come to me after listening to “The Reminder” and it certainly did not come after I listened to “National Anthem of Nowhere”. Those albums were real side projects - solo work that had a purpose. “Spirit If…” is the work of one member trying to recreate the sound of his band. When you’re a member of a group like Broken Social Scene, such efforts never really have much of a prayer of being successful.
-PTC
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