When it comes to Broken Social Scene, it's always been an amusement to point out the collective's rather massive and undetermined size, as well as their seemingly open-door policy. So when it was announced last year that mouthpiece Kevin Drew was set to release a solo album with the prefix "Broken Social Scene Presents," it took no time to speculate whether this would result in an exhausting series of each member.
Co-founder/bassist/everyman/indie stalwart Brendan Canning was announced as a follow-up almost immediately, but since the turn of the year, dates for his "solo" album have shifted a few times. Yesterday it was announced that "Broken Social Scene Presents" continues with Canning's Something For All of Us…, which will drop on July 22, a full two months after it was originally announced. As expected, the majority of Scenesters are all over the record, and Canning has admitted the album will be accepted into the BSS fold, much like Drew's Spirit If… (what is it with these guys and ellipses?), and will find itself in the collective's set lists throughout the coming months as they tour the U.S., Canada, and much more interesting places like Turkey, Russia and Finland.
The first evidence of Something For All of Us… is "Hit the Wall," a cut that follows the BSS tactic of stacking up the tracks Jenga-style for a multi-layered whirlwind. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, depending on how you see it, Canning sounds less like his group's signature sound than Drew, and not just because his voice is the less familiar of the two. Known best for his vocals on You Forgot It In People's standout "Stars and Sons," Canning's unassuming accent drowns a little in the mix, but in turn finds that balance we've come to associate with BSS. The riffage is perhaps the bigger difference, as it flutters by like mosquitoes while the loose rhythm and horns, which come into play towards the climatic ending, satisfy the jonesin' for this to sound more like another spin-off.
Overall, it's a nice taste of the promise that's to come, and exemplifies the subtler character of the other one in Broken Social Scene, who now has his time to shine in the spotlight.
Co-founder/bassist/everyman/indie stalwart Brendan Canning was announced as a follow-up almost immediately, but since the turn of the year, dates for his "solo" album have shifted a few times. Yesterday it was announced that "Broken Social Scene Presents" continues with Canning's Something For All of Us…, which will drop on July 22, a full two months after it was originally announced. As expected, the majority of Scenesters are all over the record, and Canning has admitted the album will be accepted into the BSS fold, much like Drew's Spirit If… (what is it with these guys and ellipses?), and will find itself in the collective's set lists throughout the coming months as they tour the U.S., Canada, and much more interesting places like Turkey, Russia and Finland.
The first evidence of Something For All of Us… is "Hit the Wall," a cut that follows the BSS tactic of stacking up the tracks Jenga-style for a multi-layered whirlwind. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, depending on how you see it, Canning sounds less like his group's signature sound than Drew, and not just because his voice is the less familiar of the two. Known best for his vocals on You Forgot It In People's standout "Stars and Sons," Canning's unassuming accent drowns a little in the mix, but in turn finds that balance we've come to associate with BSS. The riffage is perhaps the bigger difference, as it flutters by like mosquitoes while the loose rhythm and horns, which come into play towards the climatic ending, satisfy the jonesin' for this to sound more like another spin-off.
Overall, it's a nice taste of the promise that's to come, and exemplifies the subtler character of the other one in Broken Social Scene, who now has his time to shine in the spotlight.
