Musings

Broken Social Scene: Musical Rhapsody Created En Masse

As the sun began to set on the Band Shell in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park last Thursday, Broken Social Scene began its avant-garde performance in front of hundreds of fans listening, cheering, and moving to the familiar yet one-of-a-kind sounds of Broken Social Scene. From their countless onstage antics to their unusual amount of band members, it was apparent that this was no ordinary band. Their exclusive way of producing their music is what made it so extraordinary that it drew fans, young and old, and Broken Social Scene had them in rapture all through. From songs such as Fire Eye’d Boy to softer songs such as Major Label Debut, the band continued to improve upon its live performance which, to the audience, already seemed perfect.

When referring to Broken Social Scene, one must use the word “band” in the loosest way possible. During live performances, such as the one in Brooklyn, this “band” from Toronto can have as many as 17 musicians on stage; a rather large number for a band. BBS can have this many musicians for a certain song because it all depends on how many of their ‘friends’ show up, or what the musical needs are for that particular song.

This is what draws in the crowds of fans for Broken Social Scene; their warm, collaborative way of creating music the results of which are obviously quite unique. What is even more noteworthy is that most of the members of BSS have their own separate bands, and yet BSS flourishes. Other than Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, the core members of the band, BBS also gets help from many of their friends in the Toronto indie scene. These friends include Andrew Whiteman, Leslie Feist, Evan Cranley, Amy Millan from the Stars, and Metric’s Emily Haines.

Broken Social Scene is simply a union of friends from different Toronto indie bands. Co-founder of BSS, Kevin Drew, while commenting on the success of the band told a New York Times reporter that “The whole band is based on people who are closely connected, metaphysically” and that he’s “never made music without friends — they are my security blanket. Playing with friends is who we are". This bonding, the feeding off of each other they do to improvise the whole, does come through in their music, including their new self titled CD, and makes it one of a kind.

posted by thethoughtless @ 2:38 PM