Brendan Canning: The Other Half of the Heart and Soul of Broken Social Scene
I know, that doesn't make much sense. Let me explain.
Last year when Kevin Drew's solo album Spirit If . . . came out, I loved it and in my review declared I thought he was the heart and soul of Broken Social Scene. And he is, I still feel that way. But now that I've heard Brendan Canning's Something For All of Us, I've realized that he is also the heart and soul of BSS. By that logic, therefore, he is the other half of the heart and soul of BSS.
Jaysus, that was a long-winded way to say I absolutely love this album.
Now, I didn't feel that way immediately. This record sort of seeped under my skin. It wasn't until the third or fourth time I put it on that it hit me. It's not perfect, but it's really only one song short of being so (she says with no authority whatsoever). It's got a great flow, an incredibly satisfying heft to the sound, and really varied instrumentation and vocals.
The thing I love most about it is its triumphant feeling. Not in a grand sense or a powerful, dominating way, but in a personal, intimate way. There is a moment in the song "Hit the Wall" when it all comes clear to me. At 2:43 in, it changes key and I feel uplifted, regardless of what he's singing about. Two songs later, during "Churches Under the Stairs," there's a point when speaks very excitedly and a whole host of singers comes in and it's utterly joyous. Those two songs exemplify what I'm talking about.
There are some lovely acoustic moments and slower-tempo pieces that bracket the more charge-ahead songs, giving the record a very complete and balanced feel. The very last song, "Take Care, Look Up" is one of the loveliest songs I've ever heard. It's delicate without being thin and has one of the best lines I've heard in a long time to describe a certain kind of recognition and disappointment in a relationship: "I've got it, you got somewhere else to be."
The album is available digitally now through the Arts and Crafts website but doesn't come out in stores until July 22nd. Apparently it leaked early but not in the finished form he intended, so more than likely, anything you've heard thus far (including this) is not even as good as it will sound when you buy the real thing.
Brendan Canning--"Churches Under the Stairs" mp3 off Something For All of Us (buy) This might be my favorite song of the year so far. Seriously. And it's happy sounding--imagine that!
Perhaps you're wondering which song I don't like and that I think makes the album one song shy of perfection? It's the second one, "Chameleon." I don't have the patience for it and I think it's too mellow for its placement on the record. It's not that big of a deal, actually. In fact, aside from that, Something For All Of Us is the one record I've heard yet this year that could give Devotchka's A Mad & Faithful Telling a run for first place on my year-end list, which is saying a lot!
Downloading as we speak, and heading off to hunt for more!
RSS Add-Me
