Blame it on Darwin, Jung, or
American TV - one of the most vital lessons imparted to the average
adolescent is that social hierarchies are a b**** to spell and even
tougher nuts to conquer. Bypassing the Holy of Holies that is the "cool
table" and heading straight for a gaggle of synthesizer-toting shoegazers
instead, is likely to spell (Shampoo) Suicide for any status-starved
tufthunter.
Yet it seems these days that
the deck has been reshuffled and everyone is wanting in on the idiosyncratic
rather than the conventional - something just a little out
there, something a tad off-kilter...all of which would make for a
brutal combination, which is just right.
So, about said scruffy shoegazers.
Say they numbered about eighteen; sometimes twenty. Say they stole a
bass and three violins and a handful of percussions. Say they were up
on a stage together, doing what they did best - doling out spoonfuls
of lovely, lugubrious lo-fi.
Go right ahead and jostle for a prime spot,
because where crowds are concerned, Broken Social Scene are perfectly
capable of holding their own ground, thank you very much.
Formed in 1999, Canada's
largest and most charismatic indie collective ironically saw only two
founding members. Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning kick-started the band's
illustrious history by helming their debut album "Feel Good Lost"
in 2001, before roping in friends and fellow musicians to play and
sing at various live performances.
Many of these ingénues eventually
became mainstays, filtering in and out on tours for the band, in addition
to managing their own projects. Well-known for boasting a constantly
evolving line-up as they are for their unique sound, Broken Social Scene
now counts among its alums and musical collaborators The Weakerthans,
fellow Canadian indie prodigies Stars, Do Make Say Think, and the lark-voiced
Leslie Feist (yes, she of the deep blunted bangs and heavily sought-after
iPod jingle).
 Performing in Singapore for
the first time at this year's Mosaic Music Festival, Broken Social
Scene is slated as one of Mosaic's most wildly-anticipated acts, and
deservedly so.
While not without the touch
of enigma which has so coloured indie music of late, Broken Social Scene
proves a cut above the rest with its eclectic blend of electronica,
baroque-pop, and krautrock, made all the more compelling with its extensive
selection of instruments (including glockenspiels and violins).
With
lyrics equipped - and quipped - with razor-sharp rhetoric and an
often melancholic evasiveness, the band's penchant for variety has
given rise to aural gems such as the ten-minute long "Lover's Spit"
and a truly excellent lo-fi rendition and dramatization of Peter Paul
and Mary's classic "Puff the Magic Dragon".
Six years and three albums
on, astute fans who drew early comparisons with indie bigwigs Belle
& Sebastian and Pavement now identify the group as purveyors for
the vocal and musical stylings of up-and-coming bands such as Say Hi
To Your Mom and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.
 Organized by the Esplanade,
the annual Mosaic Music Festival spans across ten days and showcases
a dynamic mix of talent from the local, regional, and international
music scene.
Previously playing host to artistes such as Kings of Convenience
and Rachael Yamagata, its fourth installment ups it ante with a line-up
which also includes the celebrated likes of jazz maestro Harry Connick
Jr., Icelandic post-rock group Mum, and Norwegian folk-pop favourite
Sondre Lerche.
Look out also for acts from the Heineken Music Club, which
features Japanese electric jazz group Soil & Pimp Sessions, and twee
trippers the Bird and the Bee.
Tickets are available via Esplanade's
Box Office, SISTIC's Website (www.sistic.com), and all SISTIC counters.
Broken Social Scene's set is scheduled for Sunday 9 March at 7.30
pm. Tickets are priced at $58, $88, and $118 (subject to availability)
with limited concessions for students. hooked
For more information, visit www.mosaicmusicfestival.com or here.
Images courtesy of:
www.myspace.com/brokensocialscene
www.esplanade.com
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