Broken Social Scene

Add Date: May 18

Artist: Broken Social Scene

Album: Forgiveness Rock Record

Label: Arts & Crafts

Genre: Rock

Comments: Broken Social Scene doesn't really need to pad its resume as a band. The Canadian behemoth has launched the careers of several of its collaborators (Feist, Jason Collett) and boosted those of many others (Apostle of Hustle, Metric, Stars), all while churning out some of the best music of the 2000s. But in terms of making a second great LP--a record that follows in the footsteps of 2002's You Forgot It in People, one of the seminal rock albums of the just-expired decade--well, we had to wait until now.

Sure, there was plenty of solid stuff in between, from 2005's enjoyable (just not quite as good) eponymous full-length to the "Broken Social Scene Presents" records from Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. However, Forgiveness Rock Record is the second masterpiece in the Broken Social Scene catalog. The band is at full force here, both musically and personnel-wise, with Feist, Collett, Metric's Emily Haines, Stars' Amy Millan, The Sea & Cake's Sam Prekop, Pavement's Spiral Stairs and others joining the core of Drew, Canning, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin and co. Canning's 2008 BSS Presents work was titled Something for All of Us..., but that moniker seems more appropriate for an album like this. Indeed, there's the crescendoing psych-rock sprawl of opener "World Sick," the driving rock of "Forced to Love" and "Chase Scene," the breezy art-pop of Whiteman-fronted "Art House Director," the sloppy bar-rock of "Water in Hell," the instrumental killer "Meet Me in the Basement," and the sweet-sounding indie pop of "Sentimental X's," in which Feist and Millan back up lead vocalist Haines.

Sometimes, too much star power is a bad thing, but for Broken Social Scene, it's what makes the band so great. Forgiveness Rock Record goes right up there with Teen Dream, High Violet, Have One on Me and Swim among 2010's best albums.