After nine years of silence, the Canadian collective returns with a fanciful collection, still anchored in indie pop and experimentation.
A kaleidoscopic music could not originate from a single mind. Since the beginning, Broken Social Scene has benefited from the unbridled imagination of its multiple members, whose roster is as long as an arm — notably Leslie Feist, featured on this new album, and Emily Haines, singer of Metric.
Recently, we had mostly crossed paths with this modular-geometry collective in retrospective projects aimed at the past: a compilation of rarities, a tour celebrating the twenty years of You Forgot It in People (2002), a documentary to trace their journey…
A refined yet rambunctious ensemble
Luckily, they (thirteen faces on the photo accompanying the press releases) have also begun composing new material again, and we find them with Remember the Humans, sixth studio album, nine years after Hug of Thunder (2017).
Still rooted in indie pop and experimentation, these twelve tracks with changing moods obviously rely on the strength of the collective — multi-voiced singing, handoffs between instruments and songwriting. Strangely, the songs that open the set, perhaps too dispersed or not melodic enough, do not immediately grab attention.
One must wait for the group to calm the pace a little, on the airy And I Think of You, to be carried by the whole and marvel at the refined yet rambunctious elegance of the rest of the suite, from the undulating The Briefest Kiss to the contemplative folk finale Parking Lot Dreams, passing through the country-folk-soul fervor of Praying for Your Love (worthy of Springsteen) and the sparkling single Hey Amanda.
Produced by the faithful David Newfeld, who was already at the helm of two of their previous records, this grand mille-feuille does not revolutionize the Toronto gang’s discography (continuing to layer guitar textures, vocal timbres and brass while not forgetting small electro touches) but it has the merit of confirming their return to action and of beginning a radiant new chapter that will soon lead to a tour, alongside their longtime friends and collaborators Metric and Stars.
Remember the Humans (Arts & Crafts/City Slang/PIAS). Release on May 8. In concert at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, on September 5, with Metric and Stars.
