New Releases

Broken Social Scene have never been a band to go lightly on extravagance. The Canadian conglomerate of a band that began with 2 art-rockers quickly grew into a joint mish-mash of indie all-stars from a wide scope. With the sexy songstresses from Stars and Metric, it’s also worth mentioning that Broken Social Scene probably have one of the prettiest rock line-ups (sorry, Hayley Williams). This assortment of indie royalty grants Broken Social Scene the ability to experiment a little, and rarely do they pass up this opportunity. Forgiveness Rock Record is a rich display of Broken Social Scene’s many talents and areas of interest, from blaring horns sections to lighter pieces where Emily Hainses’ soft voice is most prominent. Yes, it’s also probably not too far from what you’re expecting to hear if you were one of the vehement fans of You Forgot It In People (then again, fans indifferent to YFIIP are few and far between). And in no way can you count this steady, tranquil progression against Broken Social Scene. Forgiveness Rock Record may not grant many gasps in shock and awe, but the group’s latest is sure to leave the rest of 2010 a target to catch up to as far as indie goes.

2010 seemed to start out a bit slowly, but sure did it pick up impressively. The heavyweight matches don’t take place until later in the year between Radiohead, Minus the Bear, The Gaslight Anthem, Jonsi, and a slew returning big names. The main trend, it seems, among the first quarter of 2010’s best comes from the refinement or subtle changes in a band’s sound. Rather than recreating the promising albums of the past, Titus Andronicus, Beach House, and Frightened Rabbit refused to regurgitate the same album that first garnered them a fair amount of credibility. Instead, the commencement of the decade has opened with evolving bands – sometimes for better, other times, not so much – and I find it heartening. On that note of evolution, risk-taking, and utter surprise, I give you the best of the best in the first quarter of 2010…