Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene is more than just another indie-pop band, it's an indie-pop powerhouse. Less of a band and more of a musical collective in the spirit of Architecture in Helsinki or Bomb the Music Industry, Broken Social Scene's lineup is effusive and ever changing, drawing its membership from such notable acts as The Weakerthans, Metric, and K.C. Accidental. The band's lineup shifts constantly while touring, with members coming and going depending on their personal schedule. It's an interesting arrangement, and it's sure not broken - but that's not the way the band began.

Founded in 1999, Broken Social Scene originally started out as an ambient post-rock band (think Mogwai or Godspeed you Black Emperor!) with two members, Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. In its early days Broken Social Scene's sound was experimental and sparse, featuring only minor vocal arrangements. Though the duo eventually released one album entitled (Feel Good Lost) with this aesthetic on a minor independent label in 2001, both Kevin and Brendan felt that the instrumental nature of their work didn't lead to engaging live shows; to compensate for this they began enlisting friends from the local Toronto indie rock scene to play alongside them live. Broken Social Scene's sound shifted with the addition of vocalists and extra instrumentalists - and for the better.

Fans quickly began taking notice of the group's new eclectic and expansive sound, which was fully fleshed out in time for the band's second full-length release, 2002's You Forgot it in People. Released on Toronto label Arts & Crafts Records (The Fears, The Hidden Cameras), You Forgot it in People quickly became a huge hit in Canada, appealing to hipsters and high schoolers alike with its textured and complex - yet still palatable - pop stylings. Widely considered to be Broken Social Scene's breakout record, a number of music videos were produced for You Forgot it in People including "Almost Crimes", "Stars and Sons", and "Cause = Time". The album was awarded the award for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2003 Juno Awards, a testament to its broad popularity north of the border.

A number of tracks that were recorded during the You Forgot it in People sessions eventually made their way into a second album of remixes and B-sides called Bee Hives, which received a release in 2004. Though Bee Hives was not as universally acclaimed as You Forgot it in People, Broken Social Scene once again wowed fans and critics alike with their third full-length release, 2005's Broken Social Scene, which once again won the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album in 2006. Their self titled album featured a slightly slower and more spaced out vibe than You Forgot it in People, evident in tracks like "7/4 (Shoreline)" and "Fire Eyed Boy".

Though Broken Social Scene has long been a fixture in the Canadian music scene, their popularity has lagged somewhat in the United States - though this has been changing as of late, now that the band is beginning to headline major North American festivals. Broken Social Scene's rep increased after appearing as a last-minute replacement for Massive Attack at the 2006 Virgin Festival, a large music festival in Toronto. This appearance has set quite the precedent for Broken Social Scene, who are playing at the Virgin Festival as well as Bonaroo and Lollapalooza in 2008.

From Discogs:

Formed: 1999 // Toronto, ON, Canada Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew, Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Jason Collett, David Newfeld, Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, James Shaw, Evan Cranley, Amy Millan, Ohad Benchetrit, Martin Davis Kinack, Jo-ann Goldsmith, Torquil Campbell, John Crossingham

From Lastfm:

Broken Social Scene was an indie rock group formed in 1999 in Toronto, Canada. The band's core members were Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. This duo recorded and released the band's ambient debut album Feel Good Lost, in 2001, with contributions from Ohad Benchetrit (also known as Years), Evan Cranley, Leslie Feist, Justin Peroff, Bill Priddle, and Charles Spearin. All of these musicians would emerge as key members of Broken Social Scene in future endeavors.

Read more about Broken Social Scene on Last.fm.

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From Wikipedia:

Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. All of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto. The band refuses the label "supergroup," based on size or the ubiquity of their members, claiming that in the indie scene everyone is involved in more than one project. The group's sound could be considered a combination of all of its members' respective musical projects, and is occasionally considered baroque pop.[citation needed] It is characterized by a very large number of sounds, grand orchestrations featuring guitars, horns, woodwinds, and violins, unusual song structures, and an experimental, and sometimes chaotic production style from David Newfeld, who produced the second and third albums.[citation needed]