Kevin Drew — Broken Social Scene Presents Spirit If...

There truly is no adjective in review writing worse than "self-indulgent." I presume you're going to see a lot of writers using it to describe Spirit If... due to its unwieldy length and typical Broken Social Scene sonic experimentation. But I call bullshit on the haters. The fact of the matter is, if you're a BSS fan, you're going to love Spirit If... The "BSS Presents" title is highly appropriate, as this is basically a Social Scene record. All of the band's major players contribute heavily to it and it's a logical extension of the sound on their self-titled album. Top to bottom, this is a far more palatable effort than Broken Social Scene. There are solid pop songs the whole way through, and I guarantee you'll hit the skip button a lot less than the last time around. There's also a vinyl feel to the LP, as the first half features lighter, folk-rock fare, while the second half is amped up for an ear-catching, electric shift. As BSS solo projects go, it's not quite The Reminder, but it's a headstrong runner-up.

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