First Look: Broken Social Scene – “Forgiveness Rock Record”

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock RecordForgiveness Rock Record, in short:

1) If it wasn’t clear by Kevin Drew’s semi-solo record, Spirit If…, guy’s once-weighty-seeming lyrics are now just insufferable. Weird ’70s sexual candor plus mellowed-out hippie ideology plus “Texico Bitches?” Huh?

2) New full-time member Lisa Lobsinger’s vocals are a nice add here, though her coquettish style worked better with her own (former? shelved?) band, Reverie Sound Revue — one of my favorites of last year.

3) This is otherwise a really nice, substantive Broken Social Scene record! Doesn’t have quite the highs of past works, but it manages to miss the lows, as well. No surprises (except the vocals of Sea and Cake frontman Sam Prekop on one track) but plenty to love from indie rock’s most rewardingly studio-obsessive-compulsive band, especially/obviously on headphones. New producer (and fellow Sea and Caker) John McEntire seems to have calmed them down a bit after the sugar-rush ups and downs of their 2006 self-titled effort.

Broken Social Scene – “World Sick”: mp3

(Forgiveness Rock Record is out now)

Previously: Broken Social Scene at SXSW 2010