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Broken Social Scene

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Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock supergroup formed in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario.

The band's core members are Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. This duo recorded and released the band's ambient debut album, Feel Good Lost, in 2001, with contributions by Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin and Bill Priddle. However, when they played shows to support the album, Drew and Canning found it difficult to put together an entertaining show based on Feel Good Lost, which was an almost entirely instrumental album.

As a result, they brought in a number of friends from the Toronto indie scene -- Andrew Whiteman, Jason Collett, Metric's Emily Haines and Leslie Feist -- to flesh out their live show with lyrics and vocals. Over time, the band also came to include contributions from James Shaw, Evan Cranley, Justin Peroff, John Crossingham and Stars's Amy Millan.

All of the later guest musicians joined with Drew, Canning, Peroff and Spearin to record the band's second album, You Forgot It in People, in 2002 on the label Arts & Crafts. This album, an eclectic, restlessly creative collection of experimental yet accessible pop songs, became the band's critical and commercial breakthrough -- it was greeted with ecstatic reviews, and landed on many music critics' year-end Best-Of lists. More notably it won the Alternative Album of the Year Juno Award in 2003.

The album also included musical contributions by Priddle, Jessica Moss, Brodie West, Susannah Brady and Ohad Benchetrit, but these were credited as supporting musicians rather than band members. On the supporting tour, the band consisted of Drew, Canning, Peroff, Whiteman and Jason Collett, along with whoever else was available to attend any individual show. Amy Millan and Gentleman Reg also joined for some shows.

In 2003, the B-sides and remix collection Bee Hives was released.

Broken Social Scene released their third full-length, self-titled album on October 4, 2005, with new contributors including k-os, Jason Tait and Murray Lightburn. The inside booklet accompanying album also noted several new faces as part of Broken Social Scene. A limited edition EP, E.P. To Be You And Me was also printed along with the album. For the first time David Newfeld, who has produced Broken Social Scene's albums, is listed as a band member.

Broken Social Scene's music (Lover's Spit) has also been featured in director Clément Virgo's movie Lie With Me (2005),Paul McGuigan's Wicker Park(2004), and Bruce McDonald's The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess (2004).

The group appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on January 31, 2006 performing "7/4 (Shoreline)". At the end of the performance O'Brien quipped "you need more guitars!" while there were five guitarists on stage.

At the 2006 Juno Awards, they performed "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" at the show and their eponymous album won the Alternative Album of the Year award.

Contents

Discography

EP's & Singles

Videography

Current lineup

Listed in the order and as they appear in the liner notes accompanying the group's 2005 release Broken Social Scene, as well as the tour that followed:

Touring lineup history

Broken Social Scene in concert 2004
Enlarge
Broken Social Scene in concert 2004

From 2002 to 2004 female vocalists Emily Haines, Leslie Feist and Amy Millan rotated between availability from their own bands, until a full time replacement was found in 2005 with Lisa Lobsinger. From time to time (most notably at hometown shows in Toronto) any one of the ladies will usually resume their role on their trademark songs, and appear unannounced prior to the show.

Collett took time off to promote his solo release Idols of Exile, and to attend to his family, prior to the 2005 fall tour. Spearin, also recently having a newborn child, will be absent from the early 2006 traveling schedule across Europe, although he is scheduled to tour Australia with them.

Awards and nominations

2003 2004 2006

Related bands

Most of the musicians who have worked with Broken Social Scene are members of other bands as well. These include:

Jason Collett performs as a solo artist under his own name. Andrew Whiteman's "solo" project Apostle of Hustle features other members of BSS. Kheaven Brereton is a hip-hop artist who goes by the stage name k-os. Leslie Feist is also a solo artist, although her albums are credited simply to Feist.

Junior Blue and Valley of the Giants are both BSS-style collaborative bands that were formed after You Forgot It in People was recorded and released.

Canning was previously in the bands hHead and By Divine Right. Drew and Spearin were previously in the band KC Accidental. Whiteman was previously in the bands Que Vida and Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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See also

 

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