I would even say that the title track “Hug of Thunder” wasn’t even that terrible considering how Feist heavily influenced everything on that song including the instrumentation and vocal leads. Nonetheless, she’s still a fantastic singer, and even those wobbly moments weren’t all that awful. On “Stay Happy” the exhilarating production sounded like it was a tiny bit too much for her. The only reason why I would say that is because I felt like she didn’t fit within the overall sound and energy that the rest of the band was bringing to the table. If I’m being completely honest though, as much as I enjoy Feist, I really thought that the weaker moments on this record (I’m being picky) was when she sang. Driven by another intoxicating hook, Drew takes his turn as the standout vocalist on here. “Skyline” is a luxurious folk-inspired track riddled with emotion and heavily produced by Drew. Subtly it key, and it seems like Broken Social Scene masters that concept throughout this experience. The background vocals in general were a nice added touch on each song, as they never felt overstuffed or forced within the record. The memorable chorus on here helps (“Days don’t end for nights alone”), as well as the harmonious background vocals from Canning himself. There’s a great guitar riff within the track making for a catchy experience all together. “Protest Song” was one of my highlights on this album just because of the outstanding performance from vocalist Emily Haines. Kudos to them for executing on all cylinders. That’s a daunting task considering all of the musicians they must fit onto just one project. What I mostly enjoyed about this record was, how well Drew and company were able to tone it back when need be.
Each vocalist adds their own flavor and style in a really cohesive manner. That’s really the case with most of these tunes.
Hug of Thunder starts off like a cinematic experience with a beautiful build-up to the first official track, “Halfway Home.” With multiple background vocals mixed in with really heavy instrumentals including an acoustic guitar, a base, and an electric guitar, the single luckily never feels like too much. When you have so much talent in one place, sometimes a song can be overproduced and over thought. That’s just how creators Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning operate. It could turn out great, or the product can fall apart in epic fashion.
#BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE HUG OF THUNDER SINGERS FOR EACH SONG MOVIE#
When Broken Social Scene makes music, it reminds me of a movie being made with multiple writers. The fact that one of their lead vocalists, Leslie Feist, had a really well-executed solo album earlier this year, made me even more excited for the band’s new record, Hug of Thunder. That being said, after doing some prior research on the band and its members as well as listening to some of their past work, I started to realize how instrumentally dense and creative they really were.
The way Haines squeezes extra bars from her chorus on Protest Song, meanwhile, cajoling it into the next verse, typifies the band’s ramshackle invention.Admittedly, this newly released project from the popular indie rock/pop group Broken Social Scene, was one of the first times that I really took the time to listen to their material in-depth. Sometimes all this bluster is needed to paper over middling songcraft and rudderless segues, but for the most part the writing is on point: Vanity Pail Kids rides into battle with dive-bombing saxes and a huge tom-tom tattoo Halfway Home channels Bruce Springsteen’s interstate energy and Feist gives the title track the kind of wistfulness that avoids twee. With members like Feist and Emily Haines back in the fold for the band’s first album in seven years, every song is big, anthemic and emotionally invigorating, with the jazzy breakbeats in the rhythm section keeping them endearingly dog-eared rather than pompous. With 15 members and a rickety yet ambitious sound, Broken Social Scene have the feel of a Merry Pranksters-style hippie cult, and their shared values and sense of community prove bracing in an age of Trumpian individualism.
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