To celebrate the release of the band's fifth studio album, Hug of Thunder, the staff at CBC Music got together to narrow down Broken Social Scene's expansive catalogue into its 10 best songs ever. They've made various CBC Music lists over the years, from best Canadian bands to best Canadian songs - and each spot has been well earned. The Toronto collective has made a name for itself over the years with grandiose anthems that swell with horns, strings and as many voices as they can fit on any given stage. You can't deny the imprint Broken Social Scene has made on the Canadian music scene. So, I don’t know how many people will be onstage when we get to Pittsburgh,” Spearin says, adding, “at least eight.Eighteen years, five albums and more than two dozen members. “We’re always looking around for horn players to jump up and join us for a show or two. On this tour, the size of the band has varied, depending on the night. ‘OK, you can turn up the snare drum the way you want it in that song, if you have this guitar part in the other song.’ It gets pretty bizarre.” “It’s great because everybody’s passionate, but at the same time it’s almost political. “The last part of a Broken Social Scene record is the hardest, when everybody has their different opinions and ideas,” Spearin says. “You sort of have a mysterious - a new melody is going to be in, a new sound, a new instrument.”Īll the input, however, can complicate the mixing process. “We half-write the song knowing that somebody else is going to come in and help with it,” Spearin says. Songwriting credits are absent from all of the band’s albums because many people lend hands in the recording studio. Guitarist Kevin Drew and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Canning handle most of the lead singing, but the group isn’t simply their vision, fleshed out by their friends. If you want to come and be on it, we’d be more than happy to have you,’” Spearin says. We always open the door for each other and say, ‘Hey, we’re making a record. “Everybody branched off and did their own thing, but still managed to keep in touch. The 18 musicians credited on Hug of Thunder include vocalists Leslie Feist, known for her solo act under her surname, and Emily Haines, of the band Metric. “Honestly, most of the people in the band are longtime friends,” he says. Spearin describes Broken Social Scene, which came together in 1999, as a cooperative. The vocals on “Halfway Home” swell like a choir, and the whole group sounds orchestral during the closing “Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse.” If band members aren’t following the same chord pattern, the outcome still sounds more panoramic than chaotic. The songs reveal a writing style rooted in classic pop, with layers of vocals, instruments that drop in and out at any given time, and lyrics that frequently verge on the oblique. “Colorful” certainly describes Hug of Thunder, the band’s fifth album. But they can be made into - I don’t know - slightly more colorful chords.” “We’ll find out later that everybody’s playing different chord progressions. “A lot of the times I don’t even know the chord progression of the song, but I’ll have my parts ,” he says. Considering the Toronto band might have more than a dozen musicians onstage at one time, it’s not surprising.Ĭharles Spearin, who plays guitar and bass with the group, says the joke is partially true. The members of Broken Social Scene have a running joke inspired by the group’s massive lineup: Those on stage left never have any idea what’s happening on stage right.
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