2007 has been a productive year for the Broken Social Scene empire, seeing new releases by Apostle Of Hustle, Do Make Say Think, Feist and Stars. The next coup for the group is the first in a reported series of “Broken Social Scene Presents” albums – Broken Social Scene leader Kevin Drew’s Spirit If… With his not-quite-solo album (featuring appearances by several of his friends), the Broken Social Scene sound has been stripped back to showcase Drew’s own considerable talents. Despite the stripped back sound, though, there are multitudes of layers of music to listen to here.

Spirit If… certainly contains an abundance of BSS elements, making Kevin Drew’s contributions to the super-group rather apparent. Though the vast instrumentation is still present, it’s definitely BSS’s softer, gentler side radiating from Drew. Opener “Farewell To The Pressure Kids” is the most cacophonous track on the album (not to mention the most Social Scene-esque), with clanging cymbals, raucous percussion, fuzzy guitars, waves of horns and distorted vocals. ‘Catchy’ is the cardinal theme of the album with the bouncy “Tbtf” , the radiant strum of “Safety Bricks”, and the guitar-driven “Backed Out On The…”. Drew proves a master of creating idiosyncratic love songs with a wry sense of humor (one of the loveliest songs on the album is entitled “Gang Bang Suicide”), but most impressive is his ability to paint these songs of “fucking, fighting, fearing and hope” on a canvas of expansive musical arrangements that often feel like they should be messy but aren’t.

Spirit If… feels at times like an extraordinarily lavish production (“Farewell To The Pressure Kids”, “Lucky Ones”, “Frightening Lives”) and at times a cozy DIY effort (“Broke Me Up”, “Big Love”, and the folksy sing-along “When It Begins”). If the album has one weakness, it’s the length – clocking in at over an hour. The songs are so good, however, that it is a minor complaint, and all the more reason to grant the masterpiece repeated listens. Kevin Drew has decisively succeeded in harnessing the poppier, lighter personality of Broken Social Scene and bottling it in one highly gratifying album.
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Links
Kevin Drew [official site] [myspace] [buy it]