|
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
While the ever-chanigng line-up of the Canadian collective Broken Social Scene, which has included as many as 19 musicians, and its members' many side projects may produce a dizzying list of names and connections, the band's studio album catalog is relatively simple, with just four albums released since 2001. Touring in support of their latest album, Forgiveness Rock Record, the band offered no apology for their loosely-knit indie rock stylings while at the Pabst Theatre, but rather reveled in that diversity.
Welcoming the crowd to "casual Sundays," frontman Kevin Drew cued up the soothing instrumental "Pacific Theme," to start the show, which displayed the band's early ambient musings and eased the band and crowd into a hardy, album-sprawling set list. Standouts from the new album included the singles "Forced to Love," with guitarist Andrew Whiteman shredding guitar licks, and "All to All," which features the airy yet sultry vocals of Lisa Lobsinger. The shimmering guitar swells of "World Sick," and soothing bass by Brendan Canning in "Sweetest Kill," both of which featured Drew displaying a range of vocal stylings also stood out among the new material, as well as "Romance to the Grave," which featured additional vocals by Sam Prekop, of the post-jazz, opening act The Sea & Cake, and seemed to be a perfect mix of the two groups.
Notables from earlier work included the powerful mess of "Cause = Time," Lobsinger's vocals in "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl," Drew's solo rendition of "Lover's Spit," and an encore that included "Looks Just Like the Sun," "It's All Gonna Break," and "Major Label Debut."
|
