Ever wondered what the term 'ordered chaos' meant? Just listen to this LP.
Broken Social Scene sure know how to order their chaos - and with nineteen members it's no mean feat. You Forgot It In People is a raw, intense record, and yet manages to convey the fact that here is a band making ridiculously catchy and accessible tunes.
1. Capture The Flag: harking back to the band's ambient debut Feel Good Lost, Capture The Flag evokes that weary period between waking and realising you're awake. Dreamy synths and brass swirl in a sea of serenity; the calm before the storm....
2. KC Accidental: Named after the precursor to Broken Social Scene (formed by core members Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin), this track is quite an assault on the senses. In stark contrast to Flag, KC is driven by a thunderous drum effort, at times almost outpacing the song itself. On top of this lies a cacophony of feedback, jangly riffs and meaty bass, all of which bookends Kevin Drew's single chunk of vocal. A wake up call if ever one was needed.
3.
Stars And Sons: a hazy guitar riff gives way to an elastic bassline and choppy drums. Drew's voice is reduced to a whisper for the most part; offset by prominent handclapping, feedback and an outro that would spiral upwards infinitely if it was allowed to.
4. Almost Crimes: a heady mix of My Bloody Valentine shoegaze, Pavement lo-fi and Pixies energy, Crimes sees the first vocal input from Leslie Feist - and it's filled with the tension and emotion we've come to expect of her. Probably the least hi-fi track on this set, it's also one of the most conventional in terms of structure. So, to spice things up, they chuck a saxophone into the mix. Nice.
5. Looks Just Like The Sun: sounds Just Like The Sun. A glorious summery tune, all acoustic guitars, hazy synths and laidback vocals set against an r'n'b tinged rhythm. Crescendos into a euphoric outro as Feist and Emily Haines join in the vocal amalgamation.
6. Pacific Theme: an instrumental of epic proportions, Pacific Theme follows on from Sun, adding a driving beat, chiming electric guitars and lilting trumpets. If this can't conjure up images of sun, sea and sand in your head then nothing will.
7. Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl: another complete change of direction, Anthems draws on the magic of simple repetition. Over a steady layering of violins, banjos and electric guitar washes, Emily Haines chants softly at first; a recollection of a naive period of childhood ('Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that/Now you're all gone, got your makeup on and you're not coming back'), perhaps? It's when she really intensifies during the last few 'verses' that we realise she's not looking backwards at all; she is still this little girl, still growing up, still finding her feet.
8. Cause=Time: a tick-tock drum pattern establishes the mood straight away. Kevin Drew's serious content but laid-back delivery works wonders, while the simple guitar hook latches onto the brain immediately. And then the instrumentals hit you. An infectious guitar solo rides a sea of cymbals, crashing headfirst into each wave, and in a moment it's gone again. The sea dies down into a mere whimper, ready to embrace....
9. Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries: fuzzy guitars reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless enter, soon accompanied by jumpy drum machine and flashes of treated vocals. Very much a piece of ambient music, a welcome break from the prevailing mood of the record until this point.
10. Shampoo Suicide: yet again the music describes perfectly the intent: Shampoo Suicide is a complete watery mess which somehow holds together and ends up drowning the listener as layers of keys, vocals and cymbals pile on top of eachother. Gorgeous.
11. Lover's Spit: piano balladry with vivid imagery, Lover's Spit creates a rich soundscape making full use of percussion, strings, synths and piano. Also listen for that sneaky trombone; this is the fourth of five appearances it makes on the album.
12. I'm Still Your Fag: a faintly latin-inflected down-tempo track, it's amazing to read the credits for it. Between the five contributors, a total of nine different instruments are employed - but their use is so subtle as not to distract from the fragile beauty of the song.
13. Pitter Patter Goes My Heart: some kind of closure is reached here, as Pitter Patter steals the instrumental part of 'Anthems' for a downbeat and yet ultimately rewarding close to the album. Jessica Moss' perfect violin takes a bow (no pun intended) after all its hard work throughout the rest of the album.
Now, where's the 'repeat disc' button??
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Exzellente Rezension! Auf Wiedersehen, Aufwiedersehen!
Seresecros 30.10.2007 21:24
You're reviewing all the albums I want to review! Spoon, BSS, Iron and WIne... I like this album, but I gotta say, I prefer the self-titled album. I did not know it's Emily who sings "Anthems...", though.
Capture The Flag KC Accidental Stars And Sons Almost Crimes - (Radio Kills remix) ... more
Looks Just Like The Sun Pacific Theme Anthems For A Seventeen-Year Old Girl Cause=Time Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries Shampoo Suicide Lover's S...
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