September 7th, 2007
Broken Social Scene Presents… Kevin Drew - Spirit If
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS KEVIN DREW
Spirit If.
Arts and Crafts
****
You could be forgiven for thinking that Canada’s many-legged musical collective is taking a well earned rest, thanks to an ongoing new project showcasing individuals within the band. Not so. On paper, it’s 14 shimmery solo offerings from Kevin Drew, but BSS are not on complete sabbatical, as Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit lurk on Spirit If. The tempo seesaws (often in the same song) as on opener ‘Farewell to the Pressure Kids’, where Black Francis-inspired roars over tinny pneumatics eventually slow to a lazy ballad. End to end it’s acoustically inspired with just the right of amount of electronic touch-ups. Drew clearly gets a kick out of doing his own thing, not to mention naming the album’s romantic highlight ‘Gang Bang Suicide’, but it’s a combination of many factors - woozy keys, glitchy percussion, melancholy brass - that creates something very special.
Website: http://www.arts-crafts.ca/
Download Tracks: Gang Bang Suicide. Farewell to the Pressure Kids.
This review originally appeared in The Ticket, The Irish Times on Friday, September 7th, 2007 (link not available online)
September 11th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
I’ve mixed feelings on this one, and that’s coming from a pretty big BSS fan. I think it’s a bit long and a few tracks could definitely have been left off with no ill effects, I do like Lucky Ones and Safety Bricks though