Broken Social Scene – ‘Remember the Humans’ album review: a hopeful return
The years passed, and all that seemed left of Broken Social Scene was the stain where ‘Lover’s Spit’ landed. But nine years on from Hug of Thunder, they’re back with a bounty of moody hope. Rekindled connections find the Canadian band rediscovering form.
The Skinny: Broken Social Scene are more of an amorphous art collective than a conventional group. But among this occasional melee where people drift away to raise families, pursue careers, pop back, redefine the indie sound, start a food truck, etc, there are two figures central to their sound: David Newfeld and Kevin Drew.
The former helped to launch the band after discovering their often forgotten and barely heard debut, Feel Good Lost. He picked them up, dusted the down, and produced their subsequent sophomore breakthrough. The latter is one of BSS’s founding fathers alongside Brendan Canning. Remember the Humans saw Newfeld and Drew reconnect for the first time since the band’s 2005 self-titled magnum opus.
In the midst of reconnecting after Newfeld just happened to move into the same neighbourhood, both men lost their mothers. It would be easy to take the duality of their happy reconnection and the shared grief that went along with it and say that this is an album of light and shade without even hearing it. But in truth, that’s always been the sound of BSS, and on Remember the Humans, they’re perhaps more upbeat than ever before.
The roughshod yet melodic production that proved seminal when the pair first got together is underscored by an ostinato of hopeful horns and Samba-inflected rhythmic textures this time out. It’s still moody, jazzy indie, but there’s a joyous get-together feel to the ensemble sound. Persistently, the songs roar from a tender beginning to a clattering bellow once the rolling rhythm section enters the fray and the spirit of a 21st century, slacker Astral Weeks asserts itself.
But ‘persistence’ also slightly mutes the magnitude of the album’s impact as you move through it. The recurring motifs of crowded compositions and tracks with gathering tempos slightly work against the sense of movement the album evidently hopes to establish. It’s not that the record drags or the returns dwindle, but it doesn’t get better than its anthemic opener, ‘Not Around Anymore’.
There’s also a gloss and polish to the sound that occasionally feels like a bid at modernising something still happily rooted in the 2000s, where autotune and Carhartt clash uncomfortably. Those roots, though, still bear fruit. As ever, BSS retain the humbling knack of bringing a wealth of emotional weight to their lilting melodies. With themes of deep humanity and connection, at its best, Remember the Humans is as heartening as the sound of two chinking glasses.
Standout Track: ‘Not Around Anymore’
The Verdict: In some ways, the apex of the album is that it reminds you of what a great band Broken Social Scene were. In some ways, that’s to be expected with Newfeld and Drew only just coming together after 21 years apart, given the gently clattering cacophony of sound you have to cajole to nail a BSS record. But with plenty of hope, humanity, and upbeat horns, Remember the Humans certainly offers a warm hug.
Release date: May 8th | Producer: David Newfeld | Label: City Slang
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