September 24, 2011
Broken Social Scene is a band- or perhaps more accurately a brand- that seems to be in a perpetual state of productivity, even when it's been a while since their last official release. As a group comprised of so many artists accomplished in their own rights, there is vast catalogue of musical projects spread across Canada that carries anything from a semblance of their aesthetic to their guiding influence. Everything from Fiest to Metric to Stars and countless others is seeded with the spirit and the biology of Broken Social Scene. No matter what the current shape of the musical sound scape, Broken Social Scene seems to maintain a sort of seasoned and historical relevance. When not the subject of current events, they still linger in the background with a sort of parental gaze. You'd think with the foundation that has coalesced around them within the Canadian music industry, I'd have gotten around to seeing them live before now. I hadn't. Sorry. Rest assured I was immediately aware of the error of my ways when I went to see them at the Malkin Bowl.
I rarely see a group where the first thing to occur is the singer walking up to the edge of the stage for a brief moment or two of light banter with the audience, but Kevin Drew was happy to take the time do so. Drew, throughout the evening would continue to do so, proving to be easily one of the most likeable performers I have ever seen on stage. He has a talent for supporting his band and their performance, with a sense of drama, heart, and meaning- but doesn't indulge in the slightest in the pretentious artistic high horse he could so easily mount. He could hammer out an achingly raw and personal rendition of an already emotionally weighted track like “Sweetest Kill”, and then just as quickly seem completely unaffected by it, effortlessly sliding back into playful back and forth with his band mates or the audience. He could be on his knees, perilously perched upon the precipice of the stage (thankfully not a rain slicked precipice as the weather was quite nice), bellowing out a tune in the most hyper dramatic style, without making it seem overwrought and hammy. I got the sense that if he so casually yet earnestly engaged with others, always brimming with optimism, his more theatrical efforts carried a similar kind of sincerity. Between his limitless congeniality and harrowing intensity, I can see why people often say Kevin Drew is one of the coolest people in the business. Or is that just me saying that? I'll be saying it more often anyways.
The set began with Drew and his band mantes- numbering from 7-9 people depending on the song (a slightly smaller number than this amorphous group is sometimes comprised of)- diving into an extended but non descript guitar solo. As if they wanted to give you a sense of their style of performance, Drew and four other members formed a veritable wall of guitars playing in unison. I can't remember the last time I saw such a traditional setup. Just a couple sets of drums, one keyboard tucked away in the darkened corner of the stage, and a whole hell of a lot of guitars. They formed a sort of impenetrable phalanx as they all played together; their was something obviously intimidating about it, but also slightly comforting, seeing such an incredible and robust sound come from just one type of instrument. This opening interlude soon segued into “Cause = Time”. It was the first time I ever heard it live, and it was goddamned amazing. Every aspect of the sound was crystal clear, from Kevin Drew's voice, even to each different aspect of the guitar melody, which you could affix each band member to. They opened their show in just the right way, with three back to back intense rock songs, “Cause = Time”, “Texico Bitches”, and “Shoreline”. The later song has always been one of my favourite Broken Social Scene tracks, yet watching it live left me a little concerned at first as I didn't see any horns on stage- which are integral to “Shoreline's” grande finale of a climax. Would they try and recreate it with their plethora of guitars as I saw Deerhunter do with many of their Halcyon Digest tracks no too long ago? Luckily such fears were unwarranted as they did in fact bust out the trumpet and saxophone accompaniments, to good effect, but not quite as impressive compared to the studio version. They made up for it and then some however with “Ibi Dreams of Pavement”. It's a song that was always pretty simple but explosive and vibrant. They extended the ending considerably and amplified the intensity and scale of it exponentially. The massive swell created by the horn sections was almost overwhelming, and they just didn't stop; every time you thought they would finally exhaust their energy, the kept on going. I never realized it until seeing it live, but that song was designed to be an epic conclusion to a set. Of course they were only half way through the show.
Drew had the benefit from being accompanied by some amazingly talented veterans of the industry. Andrew Whiteman is a sight to behold and a joy to hear on the guitar. Usually responsible for the more elaborate and melodically central beats to the songs, he created stunningly complex and swift rhythms that brought so many of the songs to life in way never heard in their recordings. I'll certainly never listen to “Cause = Time”, “Stars and Sons”, “Meet Me in the Basement”, and “KC Accidental” the same way again. Branden Canning, the other founding member and unofficial number two of the band was also a delight. Obviously filling in as the dorky foil to Drew's deft hipness, he was every bit as friendly and spontaneously funny. I remember seeing Cults earlier this year; I was impressed by how engaging and friendly they tried to act towards the crowd, but as they are a very new group, they were still noticeably a little nervous and uncomfortable in such a circumstance. Broken Social Scene by contrast have been doing this for years, and seemed naturally equipped to carry on a conversation with a crowd of hundreds. One of the best parts of the show had to be when Drew off the cuff mentioned he was out of shape, lamenting that he never took those swim lessons at the YMCA. Canning in a stroke of improvisational genius just cut him off and started singing “YMCA”. Before long he had the entire crowd in on it. Canning then just stopped half way through and quipped, “Oh wait, we're supposed to be singing a ballad!”- very amusing. I thought Lisa Lobsinger was a little stiff at first, not quite as keen on improvisational playfulness or engaging the crowd. Maybe that's just her style. However this worked to the advantage of her rendition of “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl”, as the ending seems to stretch on into forever (as it should), only then did her barrier start to collapse and she revealed hints of a truly emotive and effectual person- just as the song necessitates.
The show began to close on a serious of incredible high notes. Playing at a speed somewhere between the fast and slow version of “Major Label Debut” Drew and company took the time to milk every. Single. Note. It was very cool. From their they played back to back “Meet Me in the Basement” and “KC Accidental”. I always thought of these two tracks as spiritual counterparts- both being intensely instrumental based songs, operating on opposite poles of expression- the former one of pure jubilation, and the later being of scornful remorse. These songs are made to be played live as the lack of lyrics (mostly) allows a great deal of experimentation without deviating away from the core characteristics of the songs. With 5-6 guitars forming the backbone of string oriented songs, they were expectedly spectacular. As the night came to a close. Drew informed us they could only play one more track. I assume everyone there with even a basic knowledge of Broken Social Scene knew what that song had to be: “It's All Gonna Break”. Of course it was. No other song, in Broken Social Scene's vast and varied catalogue encompasses everything the group is about so perfectly. Stadium monster rock hooks, extended frenzied guitar sections, deeply reflective and raw lyrics, dramatic ballad solos, mammoth and triumphant horn climaxes- there's a lot to it. The recorded version caps off at nine and half minutes, but they took about 15 minutes to get through in this case. They poured all their love and enthusiasm not just music, but for performing into that 15 minutes; an engrossing conclusion to one of the most diverse, exciting, gorgeous and intense live performances I have seen in a good while.
It would have been cool to hear them dive into Drew and Canning's solo stuff, and I know it was unrealistic and foolish to hope for a Feist or Emily Haines appearance, but other than that Broken Social Scene puts on one hell of a monster show. Their technical and creative prowesses coupled with their steadfast commitment to engage their music and the audience in such a brave and sincere way, traveling on the spectrum all they way from silly shenanigans to grandiose sentiments was pretty stellar. It's been a while since I really considered how much I enjoy Broken Social Scene. Seeing them live is as good a reminder as one would ever need.
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