Canadian rock collective, experimental outfit and critical darlings, Broken Social Scene, have always been just a little bit too squirrelly for me.
Having said that, though, there are a couple of their tunes that take pride of place on my all-time-most-favourite-songs-ever-ever-list.
When they get it right, Broken Social Scene come close to transcendental.
A song that might begin with an unusual rhythm and complicated time signatures will suddenly open out into a sprawling, mesmerizing soundscape transporting the listener far, far from the madding crowd.
And who could ask for more than that, really?
Here's "Frightening Lives" and "F--ked Up Kid" from the album Spirit if..., (which is, in fact, the first in the Broken Social Scene Presents series, which aims to showcase the solo efforts of different BSS members -- in this case, founder Kevin Drew).
Montréal-based band the Stars make music to be romanced by.
If you like your romance tinged with bittersweet, that is.
The Stars are all about dreamy, gorgeous pop. When they're at their best, their sweeping melodies perfectly capture the incredible exhilaration of attraction -- of wanting someone, of loving someone -- and all the excitement it entails.
Lying at the very heart of their compositions, however, is the flip side of that elation: the fear, the self-doubt, the towering potential for heartbreak.
Their deceptively sweet, simple songs mask the workings of a razor sharp intelligence, underscored by a gentle melancholy.
What their songs seem to be saying, over and over, even as they're soaring you to the heavens, is that in every hello, lies the seed of goodbye.
Not that I need validation or anything -- no, not at all, who, me? -- but Filter Magazine has just listed Tegan and Sara's Back in Your Headin their Top 5 picks.*
People of taste, that lot.
And it's not like I'm gonna rename this blog the Tegan and Sara blog any time soon, but les filles will invariably show up here a rather a lot.
As is only right, fair, and just.
Also: they've released their singles The Con and Back In Your Head on iTunes. (What are you waiting for? Get on over there!)
Update: More denizens from the Land of Discerning Taste: I see Salon has just made Back In Your Head their song of the day. (Note: You'll probably need a day pass to access the site.)
Tegan and Sara's new album -- called The Con, and not officially due out till July 24 -- was unceremoniously and messily leaked all over the internet nearly two months early.
(To veer off on a tangent for just a moment: I've never really understood how these leaks work -- is it someone from the inner circle? Is it a sound person? Is it a sales rep from the record label? Who else would have access to a newly minted album? Do Tegan and Sara all of a sudden look askance at their sound engineer, with hatred and suspicion in their eyes?)
This was Sara Quin's actual response to the album leak, posted on their MySpace page:
...we are sad that the album has already leaked. but there isn't much you can do these days to stop it! so, looking on the bright side, there's no excuse for anyone to not sing along to the new songs at the shows coming up.
...i hope that you will still pick up our album when it comes out. or buy it on itunes. OR do none of that, but still know every word to every song and clap above your head, even if you have to put your smoothie or beer or water on the sticky ground. (You can read the full post here).
And I loved her postscript:
i have downloaded leaked albums before. so i am not trying to seem like a creepy school teacher slapping your ears with a ruler. i swear.
Gracious, witty, insouciant -- and that's just the blog posts. Imagine how disarming they might be in person?
I rate this band. I really do. In fact, I probably have a 3,000 word post about Tegan and Sara floating around in me somewhere. But (lucky for you) now is not the time, nor the place.
Suffice it to say, I've heard the new album. (I've already written about how music addiction will drive one to occasional acts of criminal behaviour.)
I've heard it, and I loved it.
It's a grower, and those are, by far, my favourite kind of albums.
I'm not going to write anymore about it until the album proper comes out (at which time I'll buy the CD and the DVD), but the twins have already put up a teaser for their avid and restless fans.
And here's a couple of lesser-knowns from the vaults, because, well, why not?
1. We Didn't Do It 2. Trouble 3. Walking With a Ghost (Morgan Page Bootleg Remix)
Mp3 files will normally be up for a short time only. If you like a song, why not support the artist and go buy the album?
If you're an artist, or represent an artist, and would like to have a song removed, email me (gurdypi at gmail dot com) and I'll have it taken down. Quick smart, like.
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1 comments
May 15, 2008
