Broken Social Scene

Canadian indie supergroup Broken Social Scene began with Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, both veterans of the Toronto music underground. An ambitious project between friends soon enough escalated into a ten-person outfit that knocked North American college radio for a loop with the release of 2002's You Forgot It in People. One part rock 'n' roll circus, another part unstoppable creative powerhouse, Broken Social Scene is now a globally appreciated indie-rock phenomenon. The excellent "7/4 (Shoreline)" gets us underway, followed by the mellow-grooved "Sentimental X's" and the spark-spitting "Fire Eye'd Boy."

Catch up with a decade-wide span of top-drawer B.S.S. material in Next Steps.

Broken Social Scene is a groundbreaking collective of like-minded individuals sharing a seemingly boundless supply of ideas and talent. Many of the group's collaborators are acclaimed artists in their own right: in addition to Leslie Feist, there's Emily Haines (Metric), Jason Collett, Amy Millan (Stars), and Murray Lightburn (the Dears), and all of them have contributed mightily to the B.S.S. canvas. Check out the work of this extended family and hear the crowd-sourced connections, from driving early track "Almost Crimes" to several highlights on 2010's brilliant Forgiveness Rock Record, including the brilliantly controlled chaos of "Ungrateful Little Father."

B.S.S. covers Joy Division, in Deep Cuts.

The cool thing about an extended musical family is the diversity of styles explored during the creative process. Broken Social Scene can blast through a pop song, then just as quickly settle into a hypnotic ambient groove. The clan behind this sonic spectrum has also contributed to other notable bands, including Valley of the Giants — here guiding us through the fascinating landscape of "Westworld"; the Dears ("You and I Are a Gang of Losers"); and Andrew Whiteman's fabulously named Apostle of Hustle ("Energy of Death"). Deep Cuts highlight? Check out B.S.S.'s disorienting cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" from the soundtrack to The Time Traveler's Wife.

Both in the size and the scope of its indie-rockin' back-catalog, Canada's Broken Social Scene is nothing short of phenomenal, encompassing various splinter groups and closely allied to the Toronto-based Arts and Crafts record label, which was launched in 2002 by debut B.S.S. release, You Forgot It in People. From its core of six members, the group frequently exceeds ten players per sitting, and if you count all the various guests and additional members, the head-count reaches 31. Embodying an extended family of musicians stretching across three Canadian cities and two continents, Broken Social Scene has created a network of artists who create some of the most innovative sounds in alternative music — outstanding.