Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder - an embrace amongst the chaos

Seven years since their last record together, Canada’s Broken Social Scene have produced what Kevin Drew has termed, “that embrace amongst the chaos”. That embrace, of course, stems from a collective of musicians that here, brilliantly showcase their almost 20-year shorthand.

This immersive record serves to remind that they were instrumental in forging a path that others like Arcade Fire have skipped down; their musical verve reveals itself on Halfway Home, with its jangly guitars and wildly free vocals, and Skyline, which is all driving percussion and clattering harmonies. Stay Happy begins sparsely, with minimal guitars and Ariel Engle's ethereal vocal, but shapeshifts into a baying, romantic epic.

As does the title track and Gonna Get Better, each song emblematic of the protean, playful, and profound qualities that Broken Social Scene continue to bring.

[ brokensocialscene.ca ]