Broken Social Scene Presents - Kevin Drew

Spirit If…

words – Chris Bilton

: Though Spirit If… is arguably as much a Broken Social Scene record as any of their previous releases, despite the solo tag, it’s Drew’s presence as a sort of ambivalent voice of the “scene” that makes it one of their most compelling.

With a natural lyrical flow that seems to stumble straight out of the pubs in all its Bukowski-esque honesty, the songs stay low to the ground, huddled in late night shadows almost in spite of the now incredible collective starpower of the group.

From the explosion of Flaming Lips-styled distorted drums that opens “Farewell to the Pressure Kids” Drew makes use of the regulars, with Justin Peroff behind the kit, producer and Do Make Say Think-er Ohad Benchetrit handling a number of instruments, and Leslie Feist and Emily Haines doing their vocal thing. Only Brendan Canning, who’s working on his own “solo” debut, is noticeably absent save for a few knee slaps and bass lines.

Revelling in expletives, “TBTF” (too beautiful to fuck) and “F—ked Up Kid” make for impressive early going, while “Safety Bricks” evokes Feist’s “Feel It All” right down to the acoustic guitar sound and melody bells — but hey, it works.

After an obvious candidate for hit single, “Lucky Ones,” Spirit If… hunkers down for some quiet mid-album meditation. And although “Gang Bang Suicide” overdraws the preciousness from its single repeated melody, it builds to a satisfying climax through a complex layered vocal round.

By the time we get through a few questionable experimental orchestrations and lock in to the extra-special all-star trio (featuring Metric’s Joules Scott-Key and Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis) of “Backed Out On The...” the blasting tone and ample leads are a welcome return. And while I’m not sure what “backed out on the cocks” means exactly, it’s pretty freaking catchy.

The rest of the album edges ever closer to a proper “Broken Social Scene” with lots of choir vocals and collaborative writing credits, and even a campfire singalong that descends into a hyper-saturated distorto-coda on the album finale “When It Begins.”

As a singular voice, Drew pulls his weight, which is pretty easy when you have a small army shoving from behind. Consequently, Spirit If… easily lives up to the unassuming Broken Social Scene legacy whether they want to call it that or not.

Spirit If… is out now on Arts & Crafts.

Kevin Drew plays Lee’s Palace on Sept 27.