But the Social Scene delivered once again. When they came out on stage, in my head I dubbed it "Broken Social Scene: fall model" because they were all wearing button down flannel shirts and jackets, as opposed to the fedoras and tank tops that Lollapalooza and its accompanying heat brought. It was a nice, slow build with the initial instrumental jam into Shampoo Suicide, but when that first crescendo hit, I remembered why I love this band so much. It is an emotional explosion. Their songs take all these positive and negative emotions and blast them out from wherever they are hiding. We celebrate the good and the bad. We scream for whatever is inside us. That part of "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" where Kevin Drew counts to three and everyone screams as loud as we can gets me every time. We, as a collective, let everything out of us at that moment. These are no longer are individual hopes and fears, they are everyone's hopes and fears.

"All right, it's therapy time everybody. This little bit we do for everybody, every human being in the house tonight. For everything you've lost, for everything you didn't get, for everything you hurt, for everyone that hurt you, everything you want to become, everything you never became, you're gonna scream. All right? You're gonna let it all out, you're gonna be as loud as you can...On the count of three, you gotta scream your guts out. You ready? Therapy. One. Two. Three. Scream. Go." - transcribed the best I could from this youtube video (not mine, but whoever shot it did a good job, but go to the actual youtube page with it so you can see the high quality verison)

The setlist was made up of a nice mix of BSS songs and songs from both "Broken Social Scene Presents..." albums. The Kevin Drew album was my favorite release of 2007 and the Brendan Canning album is growing on me more each time I hear it, so I would have welcomed more of those songs, but the ones they played were awesome. I was really happy to hear "Safety Bricks," which Kevin Drew prefaced by saying it was a song about "having kids and making it work," and then afterwards said, "That's like my diary. 'Dear Diary, I fucked up again.'"

The only weird moment came when they stopped playing "Superconencted" after two attempts because of too much feedback on the monitors on stage. I get really nervous whenever something appears to go wrong on stage, because I fear for the worst. But when Kevin Drew and Justin Peroff came back onstage after Charles Spearin's "Happiness Project," it looked (and sounded) like things had been taken care off. And then finishing the show with two amazing songs erased any nervousness for the band that I had.

Land of Talk was a really good opening act as well. I'm a relatively new fan of theirs and their set made me want to go listen to their new album, Some Are Lakes again real soon. And then Liz Powell did the lady part during the BSS set. I don't want to compare it to the other ladies, as I was kind of spoiled seeing Broken Social Scene for the first time at Lollapalooza 2006 with everyone, but she did an amazing job. She fit right in and made her voice work for whatever it needed to do. I was really happy that the rest of the crowd thought that too and gave Liz a huge ovation after "Anthems." And she was ridiculously cute when she would dance around on stage waiting for her part to come it. I know she is on Something For All Of Us, and hopefully they keep her part of the collective for the next "real" Social Scene release, whenever that might be.

This is what I could piece together of the setlist afterwards. No guarantees that it is correct, but I think I remembered everything they played.

1. Fuzz (Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries / Shampoo Suicide)
2. Cause = Time
3. Hit The Wall
4. Churches Under The Stairs
5. 7/4 (Shoreline)
6. Fire Eye'd Boy
7. Love Is New
8. Farewell To The Pressure Kids
9. Safety Bricks
10. Three Thousand Miles (Hawaii song, Sam Goldberg on vocals)
11. Fucked Up Kid
12. Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl
13. KC Accidental
14. Superconnected (aborted)
------------------(I guess this is the closest thing to an encore break)
15. Charles Spearin's "Happiness Project"
16. Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)
17. It's All Gonna Break

Broken Social Scene was:
Brendan Canning
Kevin Drew
Justin Peroff
Charles Spearin
Sam Goldberg
Leon Kingstone
Andrew Whiteman
Elizabeth Powell

[2008, Secret City Records and Saddle Creek Records]

Release Date: October 7th, 2008

Land of Talk is one of the twenty or so bands to have ties to Broken Social Scene. Lead singer and guitarist Elizabeth Powell took up touring responsibilities with the Canadian behemoth of indie rock last year having already been involved in Land of Talk in 2006. She’s that other girl, not Feist, not Emily or Amy Haines, who sings on “7/4 (Shoreline)” when Broken Social Scene hits the road. After guest appearances with Brendan Canning on his last album, and the semi-recent cover of Patti Smith’s “Horses” for the The Tracy Fragments, Elizabeth Powell has finally made the time to put out a full-length with her main band Land of Talk.           

            After the well-received Applause Cheers Boo Hiss, the group began getting noticed by radio outlets and music blogs, touring with various Broken Social Scene members didn’t hurt either. Broken Social Scene aside, there are lots of other good bands from Canada currently making noise here in the states. Land of Talk will have to avoid the comparisons if they hope to become their own musical entity in the world of Canadian indie rock.

            Land Of Talk’s Some Are Lakes fails to find the same melodic footing that is so easily attained by the band’s big brothers and as for female singers doesn’t match up with Feist’s past two works. Before things get ugly, let me remind the reader that Justin Vernon, formally of Bon Iver fame, produced the album. While I don’t know how much of personal touch he had on the album, his sparse style does come through in songs like “It’s Okay” and “Troubled”. Oddly enough, those are the only two down-tempo songs on the album of mainly straightforward rockers.

            They'll be around for another decade, that’s plenty of time to mature into a butterfly or an indie rock music machine. Relative newcomers Wolf Parade also spent two years before putting out a full-length and we saw what happened to them. Perhaps it will take Land of Talk a few more EP’s and tours to figure it out. Let’s just hope that “Some are Lakes” doesn’t wind up in the finale of Grey’s Anatomy…

This is what Rilo Kiley always wanted to sound like... 

Fabakis Rating: 7.4 (Shoreline)

Buy the album via Saddle Creek 

Land of Talk - Remaining 2008 Tour Dates
10/8 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College *
10/11 - Madison, WI @ Union Theatre/Univ. of Wisconsin *
10/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
10/14 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
10/16 - Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont *
10/17 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note *
10/18 - St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle *
10/19 - Urbana, IL @ Foellinger Auditorium/Univ. of Illinois *
10/21 - Richmond, VA @ Toad's Place *
10/22 - Falls Church, VA @ State Theatre *
10/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Masonic Temple *
10/25 - Brunswick, ME @ Bowdoin College *
10/26 - Boston, MA @ Wilburt Theatre *

* w/ Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene and The Stills both enjoy avid, passionate fanbases, inspiring the sorts of crowds that sing along and jump up and down, who get all lost in the sounds. We all clump up near the stage, a bundle of happy energy and goodwill. Every time I see BSS, I feel transported, transcendent, ageless. I thank them with smiles and my fists pumping in 7-4 time. That`s why it was so odd to attend this XM Verge awards show thing last week and see BSS and The Stills play to a sparse, subdued audience.

It was at this place on Queen St. West. It was a shiny and new looking place with very expensive drinks and snooty servers. In other situations, you could call the space intimate, but on this night, there were canyons between me and the people behind me. No pushing shoulders, no cozy proximity to the next person as we clap out Stars and Sons. Me and A and our plus ones planted ourselves right at the base of the low stage, mere inches from the players, but behind us were open plains with disinterested eyes off in the distance. Like we were meerkats gazing across the savanna at some resting herd of elephants.

The Stills came on and played:

I stood close enough to watch them poke at their pedals and drip sweat down the collars of their shirts. I don`t say all this as idol worship, just that we were that close. I didn`t fight the urge to dance around, but I did pause now and then when I felt the openness behind me and had to shift around away from the paparazzi-like photographers and videographers chronicling the whole thing.

Between-set chatter, awards given, some guy who looked like Jonah Hill approached me and said he had to take my photo cuz I looked *just* like a friend of his, awkward posing, shuffling around, BSS emerge. I could see the tangles in Kevin Drew`s hair and the puffy halo of frizz on Brendan`s ginger beard. I love BSS, but again, I don`t say all this as idol worship, just that we were that close.

You could be excused for thinking I idolized, being right at their feet like that. But there`s more to it than that. Being such a fan, identifying so much with their music, I guess I feel that false intimacy toward them that we humans tend to feel for artists, musicians, actors, starlets that we so often see and read about. If you love BSS that means you get something about me, understand some unspoken essential element of me. Sharing a passion for a band is an evolutionary adaptation to link me to a larger group. A collective. Lacking my own collective, BSS fills that gap and gives me a shortcut and a language to speak.

So, staring at the obvious newness of Brendan`s custom-colored Nikes, at Charles` awesome belt buckle, at Kevin`s squinched-closed eyes, at Andrew`s detailed mime-like hand dances all felt a little surreal and familiar. Yet, they wouldn`t know me from whoever. They played:

Oh shit, it was awesome, even if it didn`t quite seem like their hearts were in it like they are for fan-filled shows. I always like a good Cause=Time or Fire-Eyed Boy but would`ve loved a KC Accidental or Superconnected. We stayed close and finished it off, even as BSS skipped out on Ibi and swapped it for a free-form jam that had non-collective folks headed for the exits. We got stole. Got lost. Good enough.

Okkervil River has been busy; with three albums in the last four years, you may think there has to be a drop in quality, but alas, they deliver the goods again on their new album, The Stand Ins. I will not waste any of my trademark alliteration and clever quips on this modest description (hint: full album review soon), but do not expect another Black Sheep Boy, they bring more of the pseudo upbeat alt-country/rock of last years effort, The Stage Names, almost serving as an extension. Brash and brutally honest lyrics galore. Perhaps we can cross our fingers for a new 2009 release.

Broken Social Scene is an oddity. They have had more branch-off solo albums than the Wu-Tang Clan. OK, we won't be ridiculous, but the release of BSS Presents: Brendan Canning's Something For All Of Us... marks the third album in two years released by one of the super-groups masterminds (see also: BSS Presents: Keven Drew - Spirit If..., also recommended, also loving the use of "...", and breakout alum Feist - The Reminder). Brendan does not stray from what he knows, and you can expect more of the arrangements you would hear from a normal any BSS release. Now if only we could get a proper follow-up to BSS' self-titled 2005 masterpiece.

Never being one for conventionalism, I am throwing in The Avett Brothers for the second time in this weeks Listen Up! They released The Second Gleam EP somewhat under the radar, with the brothers new album soon on the horizon. It is a stripped effort, most likely some B-sides from their critically acclaimed 2007 album Emotionalism. All of the songs here contain simple guitar/banjo and vocals only, beautiful ditties about lost childhood, murder of a loved one, and unbridled love (you know, the usual). Following these 'gents has been a fantastic ride, to see how much they have grown since their humble beginnings; they have really found their stride.

- Ant

[Listen Up! is a weekly feature.]

The Barberries

The Barberries have a very Beatles meets Black Keys meets Zappa feel to them. Very old school rock. Not quite my style, but you might like them..

The Wombats, A Guide to Love, Loss, & Desperation

Y'all know I was really excited for this album, but after playing it through, I'm not so sure my excitement was well placed. Don't get me wrong, The Wombats are absolute pros at what they do; they play consummate pop. But I'm just not sure if I love it. I was kind of expecting it to be a bit more meaningful [which given my previous statement, is a rather unfounded expectation - pop is, after all, just that: tap your toes music with lyrics attached]. But still, I really wanted to see more than the "short skirts, long hair, arms flying everywhere" motif found in almost every song. Come on, Matthew Murphy, I know you have more feelings than that. Shallowness aside, this album does have some good tracks. "Let's Dance to Joy Division" is obviously the frontrunner, but "Here Comes the Anxiety" provides a bit of variety with Murphy's self-proclaimed "darkest song I ever wrote" [that is, "dark" only when compared to the rest of the album] and "Dr. Suzanne Maddox PHD" gives a nod to The Beach Boys with the ever-energetic "Help me, Suzanne" chorus. Needless to say, the Wombats are definitely a concert band. In conclusion, this album will definitely be heard (and danced to) in my car for a no-strings-attached pick-me-up, but it probably won't join the regular rotation.

Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It In People

Broken Social Scene is another one of those bands I really want to like [I adore Feist, after all], but I find I have little to say about this album other than the (rather obligatory) track "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl," which is exactly what it looks like: a well-played nod to high school affinities. All in all, the album is very experimental (in a very synth-rock sense), but the beats just don't do very much for me, neither does Kevin Drew's voice. "KC Accidental" and "Pacific Theme" are pretty good tracks, though. Ah well, I tried.

And, as promised, Synthar, Evenings and Weekends

Indie electro-pop with a backbone. And a thought process. I love it. Synthar had somehow managed to achieve the perfect balance of synth sounds, which are very overdone and repetitive, and vocals-- and they even included some subtle social messages in tracks like "Robots Among Us" [my personal favorite]. Overall, an excellent sound, innovative and poignant. I approve.

Notable tracks: "Robots Among Us," "Eyes Shut," "Standing Still"

Also, this is what I want to be when I grow up:

Finally, how does iTunes not have Brendan Canning's solo album? And does anyone know anyone who does?

]]> http://neverlearnedtoswim.wordpress.com/?p=367 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:33:55 +0000 ptchan http://neverlearnedtoswim.com/2008/08/04/record-review-broken-social-scene-presents-brendan-canning-something-for-all-of-us/ When everyone made a big hoo-ha about Kevin Drew’s “side project”, I could only cock my head in confusion.  I couldn’t quite see what all the fuss was about.  The Broken Social Scene frontman had released a record that sounded exactly like his old band, only way more anemic and way less awesome.  It served the same ultimate purpose (to me, anyway) that Thom Yorke’s now all-but-forgotten side project The Eraser served: it proved that the frontman needed his band.

With the first few bars of opening and title track of Something For All of Us…, BSS bassist Brendan Canning’s debut solo album, I thought it would be Spirit If… all over again.  And while there are definite other tips of the cap to the Scene (like “Churches Under The Stairs” and the boring closer "Take Care, Look Up"), Canning for the most part stands removed from them.  This album has more stylistic variety than any other BSS side project – that means Feist and Apostle of Hustle too.

Now, it’s dangerous business to jump between genres within a record. Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos pulled it off well on their 2006 debut LP, The Dust of Retreat, and The Decemberists gave it the old college try on The Crane Wife, and those were two of the year's finest releases.  But those albums were notable and praiseworthy largely because they managed to genre-jump as well as they did.  Canning’s not in that league yet, but he’s off to a respectable start on Something for All Of Us…, a record that actually does have something for (almost) all of us: whether it’s the fuzzy, crunchy rock of “Hit The Wall”, the nod to disco/dance in “Love Is New”, or any one of the many folk-infused tracks – “Snowballs and Icicles” is heavily inspired by Iron and Wine’s early stuff, “Antique Bull” is a little more upbeat and jazzy but it’s still folk (think The Weepies on uppers), or the weary “Been At It So Long” is post-folky and atmospheric.

Basically, Canning is exploring his favourite (maybe) genres and experimenting.  This record is the product of his experimentation.  The biggest pitfall with this kind of undertaking – and unfortunately the biggest problem with this record – is that writing and recording an album is kind of like digging a hole.  You have a given amount of energy to expend digging.  You can either dig one really deep, impressive hole and nobody will ever ask why you didn't dig more.  Or you can dig a lot of really shallow ones which only impress in their number, but not their depth.  This is a record of shallow holes.  Canning explores a lot of genres without ever fully discovering one.  And while that makes for a record with ample superficial appeal, listeners looking for a deeper experience will be disappointed.  It has more variety than an album like, say, Boxer, but is ultimately less compelling because it’s less nuanced, less subtle, less thoughtful.

Plus, the man is a beginner, and at times, it shows.  The instrumental track “All The Best Wooden Toys Come From Germany” is pointless and self-indulgent, rife with over-the-top, out-of-place strings and brass – proof of the fact that Canning has a lot of work and growing to do when it comes to crafting a coherent, tasteful arrangement.  Luckily, he bounces back nicely from this clunker with the album’s best track, “Possible Grenade”, where Canning’s vocals rise beautifully, almost desperately from amid its rushing, ethereal guitars and pulsing, urgent drums.

The record works best when it avoids pushing the arrangement envelope; keeping the arrangements simple, letting Canning’s haunting vocals – one part Ben Gibbard and one part Matt Berninger – take centre stage.  Given the stylistic diversity of the songs Canning has elected to present, it works well; he doesn’t need to rely on different instruments to make his songs sound different from one another.

I’m still not quite sure from where Brendan Canning gets his inspiration.  In listening to Something For All of Us…, it’s really tough to pinpoint.  He paints in broad strokes and dips into a lot of different paints.  The title is apt; I think Canning learned as much about himself as a songwriter from this record as any of us could.  This is a fine record.  But I suspect Canning is capable of putting out a great one if he would only be taken to task.  Dig dig dig.

8.0 / 10.0

After seven years and four albums, one of Broken Social Scene's founding members, Brendan Canning, decided to break from his buddies and go solo, sort-of.  BSS Presents Brendan Canning is the second in the series of solo albums produced by BSS members for BSS members. . Last year we heard from Kevin Drew with his album "spirit if...", and there is sure to be more to come. 2 down... 17 to go I suppose.

And the way these records are coming out, once a year, and at a high calibur, why shouldn't they make that many. Canning presents us with the kind of power pop sweetness that we have come to rely on BSS for.

Originally, Arun was supposed to write this article until something came up and he was forced to do his math homework. In his original draft he wanted mention that he'd been dancing to the album playing on repeat despite not being much of a dancer.

I really enjoyed this album and I encourage you to at least listen to it. The whole thing is available streaming on Brendan's Myspace. If you enjoy it, I encourage you to get the album and support the artist. And if you are curious as to where you can find the album, well I have a handy link so it's just a click or two away.

Order Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning from Insound

A nice treat for you on That Friday Feeling this time around with Hit the Wall from Brendan Canning and the gang from their new album Something For All of Us.

Have a fantastic weekend, y'all hear!

Ch-ch-check it out here.  This edition's theme?  Summer haircuts.

Track list after the jump!

1. The Kinks - Hard Way
2. Jay Reatard - You Mean Nothing To Me
3. Brendan Canning - Hit The Wall
4. The War On Drugs - A Needle In Your Eye #16
5. Nick Lowe - Nutted By Reality
6. The June Brides - Sunday To Saturday
7. Belle & Sebastian - Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying
8. David Bowie - Right
9. Beck - Profanity Prayers
10. The Black Lips - Fairy Stories
11. Joe Jackson - One More Time
12. Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World

Fifteen years after Sarah McLachlan's landmark album was issued it will be on the store shelves again, with some new packaging and a couple of companion discs.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Legacy Edition will be released Aug. 5. The "limited collectors series release" is a three-disc set with two CDs and a live DVD. The first CD is the original 1993 album. Disc two is The Freedom Sessions, originally released in 1994 with different versions of many of the songs from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Disc three is a DVD with live versions of many of the songs from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, plus a couple of others.

You can preorder the album on Amazon by clicking here. If you don't need the extra material, you can order the original album here.

Brendan Canning

One of the founding members of Broken Social Scene, Brendan Canning's inaugural solo release was issued July 22. Something for All of Us is available on iTunes and elsewhere.

Spirit of the West

Last week Canada's favourite West Coast celtic band celebrated 25 years of making music with Spirituality: The Consumate Compendium. The new Spirit of the West compilation includes 30 of their best tracks, including the beerhall classic, "Home for a Rest," and two brand new tracks.

You can order it on iTunes, but you have to switch to the Canadian store to find it. If you click here it should offer you that choice. (To switch back to the U.S. store—or another country—go to the iTunes Store home page and scroll down to the very bottom. See example here.)

So he doesn't have Kevin Drew's high-profile girlfriend or his name recognition.  And sure, he looks like you're old pot-smoking high school teacher who's STILL working on his novel.  But believe you me, as the other founding member of Broken Social Scene, Brendan Canning is a force to be reckoned with.  And if we may say so, he's just released a wallop-packing album.  So sit back, relax and prepare to get slightly weirded out should you choose to read the sometimes gushing, often incoherent Download Guide that follows.

Review the Download Guide rules if you dare and get a video and mp3 after the jump!

The Download Guide (name possibly still under review) is a simple system to evaluate albums on a song-by-song basis and thus help you in the ongoing mission to fill your iTunes with all killer and little to no filler.  This isn’t exactly a review but a way to help you navigate your way through the a la carte world of MP3s.  You can read our first one here if you want.

Songs are on a grade school, plus/minus system: A, B, C etc.

1. Something For All Of Us - Title track as opening track?  Such a simple, under-utilized concept and indeed a statement on the broad accessibility of the music.  This is a man who knows how to appeal to listeners with classic-pop sensibilities.  As for the song?  After a distorted instrumental intro it breaks into an off kilter, fuzzy rocker that wouldn't sound out of place on a Broken Social Scene record.
   Final grade: B
2. Chameleon - A delicate intro gives way to a flowery tune marked with soft horns and barely there vocals.  The song builds to a brief crescendo before exiting as discreetly as it arrived.  Bottom line, it's nice, but if I wasn't forced to give a track-by-track breakdown, I probably wouldn't have noticed it coming or going.
   Final grade: C+
3. Hit The Wall - More like 'hit the face'....with RAWK. A straight xerox of Broken Social Scene's "Fire Eyed Boy" -- that makes two out of three tracks so far that totally cop BSS (not a bad thing) -- but this song is too immediate and foot-tappingly great to ignore.  Oh my God, the horns just came in.  My mind is blown all over my computer screen.
   Final grade: A
4. Snowballs And Icicles - This is a total comedown track from "Hit The Wall."  Acoustic guitar and some psychedelic flourishes in the background but not much else.  If I was listening to this in the car, I would totally skip past.  It's nice in the context of the album, but hardly worth your hard-earned download.
   Final grade: C
5. Churches Under The Stairs - Oh man, oh man, oh man, another stone-cold ROCKER.  Damn you Brendan for this rollercoaster of emotions you call an album!  Falsetto singing, bubbly guitars and handclaps (a.k.a. my kryptonite).
   Final grade: A
   MP3: Brendan Canning - Churches Under The Stairs
6. Love Is New - What is this?  Ooooh weeeee, that is a funky, nasty bass line!  This is me right now.  Again, horns come in at the end and it builds and builds until I can't take it anymore.
   Final grade: B+
7. Antique Bull - Hm, not sure who this is singing.  Some chick.  Who let her in here?  Buuuuut, she can sing pretty nice.  Is this Emily Haines?  Def not Feist.  Someone help me answer this.  Song's just okay.
   Final grade: C
8. All The Best Wooden Toys Come From Germany - One thing Broken Social Scene does really well is create songs that make you do a musical double take.  I'm always checking my iTunes as I type to make sure I didn't miss the start of a new track.  This one is just instrumental though and serves more like a bridge.  All in all, not worth downloading.
   Final grade: C-
9. Possible Grenade - Ahh, here's Brendan again.  We missed you!  Apparently he had to take tracks 7 and 8 off to recover from his earlier rock assault.  But he's back now and he's brought another fist-pumping anthem with him.  This one's got a bit of an attitude and if you listen closely, the guitars almost resemble The Cult.  Definitely U2-esque.
   Final grade: A-
10. Been At It So Long - This is a slow burner.  A nice atmospheric comedown and, what's this?  There are those BSS horns swooping in again with some angelic background vocals and bells.  Ahhhhhhhh, how peaceful.
    Final grade: B+
11. Take Care, Look Up - Breathy vocals with some soft instrumentation behind it.  Definitely a closer, but a nice way to go out.
    Final grade: C

Well folks, thanks for checking out our second Download Guide.

Brendan Canning MySpace

Bonus vid time!

Broken Social Scene founding member, Brendan Canning, has a solo album out called Something For All Of Us. This is a song from that album.

I first heard of Canning, and his band Broken Social Scene (well, he and Kevin Drew's band, really...), when designer Matt lent me a copy of You Forgot It In People back in 2002. At the time, that album was a nice break from what was happening in indie-land and was a good precursor of music to come.

Canning seems to have been ahead of sounds to come, and I've been looking forward to the next effort.

Thanks to Muzzle of Bees, I now know that the album - which is coming out on CD on July 22 - is available digitally right now. I've only gotten through it once, but it is, as he says, "fantastic."

Here's the video for "Hit the Wall." Enjoy...

1. Said the Whale - This Winter I Retire
I caught Said the Whale at Call the Office the other night and they rocked my socks.
2. Sloan - Believe in Me
Once a friend was trying to recall who sang "Rest of my Life" and thought it was by a one hit wonder, turned out it was by a band who just released their ninth studio album.
3. Great Bloomers - Catching Up
This is a sweet song to kick summer off. Seeing old friends again and making new ones.
4. Mates of State - My Only Offer
This is the first song I've heard by the duo, it's catchy and simple.
5. Brendan Canning - Hit The Wall
I never got into Broken Social Scene, but man is this song ever catchy.

Download the entire performance here. Can't wait to see these guys at Lollapalooza, but damn, why do you have to be playing at the same time as Battles and Lupe?

An unmastered version of the latest Broken Social Scene presents... installment has recently leaked, causing the latest featured musician, Brendan Canning, to react by posting the album digitally before it's release date of June 22nd.

Canning's reaction is similar to labelmates Stars' reaction to the early leak of their In Our Bedroom After the War... (mp3 after the jump)

Here's Canning's written thoughts, via Arts & Crafts:

It has come to my attention that an unmastered version of my album has been leaked through the internet. With the retail release being six weeks away, I've decided to correct the situation by releasing the album digitally myself, because I can. So this is for all you early birds who just couldn't wait for July 22nd. But you know, it won't be like going to your favorite record shop and getting a copy in your hot little hands, or sitting in your basement downloading it to your iTouch phone [sic] while playing 'Grand Theft Auto'. It merely corrects the situation that is...a messed up version of my record floating around on the internet, and this is not how I wanted my record to drop. Believe me, this is not a minor situation. We're talking recall here folks... With all of this in mind, please note: Something for All of Us... will be available at all fine retail and digital outlets in North America July 22nd with some additional artwork inside and slightly later for the rest of the world.

Thank you all, please enjoy.

BC

I think this begs the question, "why don't all artists release albums digitally before physical albums hit stores?" Wouldn't it avoid these leaking fiascos, at least a little?

Buy the digital copy here if you feel so inclined.

Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning - "Hit the Wall" (alt)

Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning, as seen in his Arts & Crafts site, sits down in his cozy apartment drinking tea and watching a Champions League match between Man. United and Barcelona. Watch the loop here: http://www.arts-crafts.ca/brendancanning/

Canning, a founding member of Broken Social Scene, recorded Something For All Of Us as the second title in the "Broken Social Scene Presents" series. You can download your copy now on Gallery AC for $10.98 (U.S.) or $1.09 per track.

The physical CDs and vinyl copies will still hit the stores July 22, with additional artwork. It will also be available from other e-tailers on that date.

Read more about what happened here (click on "News").

Après Kevin Drew et son Spirit If... paru l'année dernière, c'est au tour d'un autre membre du combo canadien Broken Social Scene de s'essayer en solo. L'album de Brendan Canning s'intitule Something for All of Us... et est dans la droite ligne de ce que le personnage fait en groupe. En un mot: réjouissant. L'album sort le 22 juillet dans les bacs. Pour vous, deux titres de cet album.

[mp3] Brendan Canning - Churches Under the Stairs
[mp3] Brendan Canning - All the Best Wooden Toys Come From Germany

Nevertheless, I am not complaining. Bredan Canning is the next in line for this series, and no doubt, this will be a Canadian round-up the likes of which I can not show to be knowledgeable of in any meaningful way...

Except for that he is pretty much the dude in the Canadian music scene. As such, about 392 people feature on the record. Arts and Crafts have a neat little promotional voyeur thing going on over at their site for the release, slotted for 22nd July, 2008. Apparently soccer and not answering your phone are inherently linked in Canada.

You can download one of the songs, apparently the single, Hit the Wall, from the above website. Or you know, if you are lazy, hit our link and contribute to our ever diminishing statistics. I prefer that you love us and show it.

Heres some live youtube videos of the new song.

Apparently they were playing these late last year, so why they chose not to showcase them at the Australian gigs is beyond me. Maybe Kevin wanted his to breat a little more. Which is fair enough. Cause despite popular opinion, I think his Spirit If... was amazing.

By Konrad Overdrive

Hardly an apt title for a group known for such a unique sound, but check out this tune, which just hit the deck, c/o Pitchfork:

MP3: Hit the Wall

And a little something from our friends...buy Broken Social Scene/MP3: Cause=Time

MP

A Broken Social Scene, você já deve saber, não é só uma banda, é uma grande e feliz família indie. E como tal, há momentos em que todos os membros devem contribuir para que um único filho apareça. Essa é a idéia dos discos com o selo "Broken Social Scene Presents...". Aqui a família dá espaço para o trabalho de uns de seus filhos, mas sem nunca deixar de estar ali.

O primeiro a trilhar seu próprio caminho foi Kevin Drew (aka namorado da Feist) com o bacana "Spirit If...", lançado ano passado. Com a família saindo de férias logo logo (ou seja, saindo em turnê), já era tempo de fazer outro filho brilhar. E o escolhido foi o baixista Brendan Canning, que, nas palavras da Rolling Stone - não concordo - é o McCartney do grupo (Drew seria o Lennon).

"Something For All Of Us..." será lançado no dia 22 de julho pela Arts & Crafts, a casa de todas as coisas relacionadas ao Broken Social Scene, tipo uma empresa-familiar. O disco, como já era de se esperar, tem participação de quase todos dezeseilaquantos membros do grupo. O single "Hit the wall" já está na rede (você baixa aí embaixo) e, não dá para esconder, tem o DNA brokensocialsceneano (indie rock anos 90, arranjo caótico, apelo pop radiofônico) gritando por toda parte. Família, sabe como é, né?

MP3 Brendan Canning - Hit the wall

O Broken Social Scene entra em turnê nos próximos dias para promover comemorar o disco, tocando músicas dele, do álbum do Kevin e dos três trabalhos família-unida que fizeram sua fama. É essa turnê que, depois de passar pela Europa e por alguns festivais nos EUA, deve chegar ao Brasil no começo de agosto no moribundo Festival Indie Rock. Séra que rola um cover dos Titãs?