Tunes (March 4, 2010)
Broken Social Scene – World Sick
"The more the merrier" has always been in style for Broken Social Scene
This is the first glimpse of the bazillion-member Toronto collective that we’ve had since 2005’s self-titled third album (Arts & Crafts), though band leaders Kevin Drew and Brandon Canning have each released solo albums since then. Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts& Crafts, 2010) should bring plenty of excitement; any band with members of so many other great bands (Metric, Feist, Stars, Do Make Say Think) promises to do so. “World Sick” is long and crawls for a Broken Social Scene song, but the familiar warm guitar hook makes it impossible to be anything but excited about the rest of this major upcoming release.
I’ve never been a fan of the animated band gimmick, but this single has grown on me in the past month. I don’t expect it to go away any time soon, especially with the release of Plastic Beach coming up on March 8th. If you’re like me, you’re going to enjoy Bruce Willis shooting at cartoon characters. Always refreshing rapper Mos Def also features.
Have One on Me (Drag City, 2010) has been widely available since February 23rd, but I still don’t think that anyone can have listened to this one enough to attribute a rating to it – except for the professionals, of course. The triple album clocks in at two hours, and each song seems longer and more demanding of the listener’s attention than the previous song. Although “Go Long” is eight minutes long, it is both focused and captivating. Bring on the Joni Mitchell comparisons.
Swim (Merge, 2010) is the follow-up to the Polaris Music Prize-winning album Andorra (Merge, 2007). If “Odessa” is any indication of what’s to come, math scholar-turned- electronica musician Dan Snaith will be enjoying more critical praise this spring. Swim matches this particular song’s sound well; there is a distinct feeling that this song would be even better if played at a snorkeling dance party.
Modest Mouse – Cowboy Dan (Live 2001)
Jeremiah Green is the drummer for one of my all-time favorite bands, Modest Mouse. March 4th is his 33rd birthday. This is a live extended take on “Cowboy Dan,” from the classic Modest Mouse album Lonesome Crowded West (Up, 1997). There is much angry jamming to be had here.
-Bryan Gordon (WOSU Intern)
Last 5 posts by Bryan Gordon
- Tunes: Wrapping Up - June 6th, 2010
- Tunes: June Edition! - June 1st, 2010
- The Third Arcade Fire Album Due August 3rd! - May 28th, 2010
- Imagining Interpol without Carlos D - May 26th, 2010
- Hype Machine Followup: Remix Nation - May 18th, 2010