Broken Social Scene
Hug of Thunder
Many music writers will sell the return of this theatrical Canadian pop supergroup, after seven years of inactivity, on the contributions of higher profile band members like Feist. But, those who are less short-sighted will recognize that the best thing about Broken Social Scene is that they are monumentally greater than the sum of their parts.
Distilled to their essence, this is a big ambitious rock band and they’ve enlisted a big ambitious producer (Joe Chiccarelli) for Hug of Thunder, which is an unrestrained, emotionally lush and anthemic record that offers some pretty important messages. For instance, “Gonna Get Better” where the band sings, “The future’s not what it used to be…things have gotta get better because they can’t get worse.” In an era where every day seems to be worse than the one before, this kind of educated optimism is just the artistic sentiment many music fans are hungry for.
Regardless, HoT is a welcome reintroduction to a band that appears unafraid to bare their souls and reaches beyond their essential past output for even higher rungs. (Arts & Crafts/City Slang)