Top Ten Albums 2010:

7. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

Oh my, THE supergroup of Canada. What are they up to this time around?

Well for starters, they’ve somehow kept up their reputation as one of the most consistently impressive artists that have only released a handful of official packages (think Portishead, Terrence Malick, etc.) Forgiveness Rock Record is only their third “real” album in ten years, as 2001’s Feel Good Lost is really just a bunch of demos (fight me on this, I dare you…)

Let me just say that BSS is one of my favorite bands of all time. Their ability to accommodate any situation has been a huge inspiration for my own music. And their tendency to over-indulge is such a refreshing reminder of their humanity (Both over-indulgence and the instinctual humanity that comes with it are important concepts for all of my favorite albums this year, especially #2 and #1).  

This is the first album on the list that draws its strength from an evenly spaced and coherent tracklisting, something that possibly saved the record from being too overwhelming or obtuse (See Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs). This is also the first record on the list, so far, that departed distinctly from the production style of the group’s earlier work, a decision that I believe saved Forgiveness Rock Record from seeming  a little bit too stuck in the cold comfort of past successes (See Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs).

OK, here’s a fanboy rant:

I feel as if I’ve heard these songs a million times but in a good way. Sweetest Kill is in the running for greatest BSS song ever written. Meet Me in the Basement (video above) is close too. This new record plays as if someone from the future, who had the eventual Broken Social Scene Greatest Hits record, went back in time and stamped “CLASSIC” on these songs before we even had time to listen to it for a year. HA

The melodies are catchy. The instrumentation is slick and grandiose at the same time (Check out the overdubbed flute on Forced to Love). The vocals, whether done by Kevin Drew, Emily Hanes, or Brenden Canning (Water in Hell is great) are really emotive and genuine. Overall, its a great album that is far from perfect but just right for BSS as a band.