Broken Social Scene

You Forgot It In People is the follow-up to Feel Good Lost, and is more varied, focused and ambitious; this time around, the Broken Social Scene have found their sound. The BSS are a band known for having a transient musical family of wandering musicians that sit in for a few songs and then move on. At the hub of this family are Kevin Drew and Brandon Canning, with several other musicians as spokes, such as Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think) and Evan Cranley (Stars). The tunes on this recording range from the hard-rocking "Almost Crimes" to the sweet and mellow "Looks Just Like the Sun" to irreverent ballads like "Lovers Spit." The common thread through all these tunes, both the instrumentals and the more numerous vocal tunes, is the well-defined and tighter songwriting. Something of a departure, the BSS have moved on from their drone rock past. Each song on You Forgot It In People is passionately played, as if written and recorded in the heat and inspiration of the moment, yet they are also polished. Adding to this evolved album is the broad range of instrumentalists Drew and Canning incorporate in addition to just drums, guitars and bass, such as multiple vocalists, keyboards and a horn and string section. A pleasant surprise, the Broken Social Scene has released one of the best albums of this year.