Version one a.k.a. unedited rambling:
Broken Social Scene might just be my favorite band. I became aware of them through their epic 2005 untitled/self-titled album, which separates me from the majority of other Broken Social Scene fans out there, most of whom first listened to BSS's You Forgot It In People. Nevertheless, I have been pretty obsessed with their music, tracking down Japanese import albums for bonus tracks, rare soundtracks, compilations, singles, etc. This is important because I came in to Forgiveness Rock Record with very high expectations. But I think that everyone came into FRR with expectations, and BSS knew that.
I didn't have expectations for either of the BSS Presents series: Kevin Drew's excellent Spirit If... and Brendan Canning's it-has-its-moments Something For All Of Us. I really didn't know what to expect these pseudo-solo albums to sound like, and as a result fell in love with each of them almost immediately. With FRR I had a definite idea of what BSS should sound like, and when the album didn't match up to that I was initially disappointed.
FRR starts of with the sprawling epic “World Sick”, which stylistically picks off right where their 2005 album ended (or where the Japanese release ended off, with the bonus track "All The Gods): epic builds, distorted guitars crashing left and right, horns blaring, unexpected shifts and changes. However, the vocals are much more brought out, most likely due to the shift of producers from long-time BSS veteran Dave Newfeld to indie-renown John McEntire. On their 2005 album, Dave Newfeld was for the first time listed both as a producer and as a member of BSS, and I sorely missed his presence on the first few listens. However, I realized FRR has a personality of its own, and it's not really fair to compare it to previous outputs.
For instance, I could complain that FRR isn't as cohesive as BSS's 2005 album, but part of what makes FRR unique is its variety. Following “World Sick”, BSS jumps all over the place: the driving dark and distorted “Chase Scene”, the insanely catchy “Texico Bitches”, the head-banging anthemic rocker “Forced To Love”, the constantly-moving dance-pop of “All to All”, the Apostle Of Hustle-inspired “Art House Director”, the laid-back instrumental “Highway Slipper Jam”, etc. FRR continually manages to surprise me.
That said, FRR has its weaknesses, one of which is the idiosyncratic “Ungrateful Little Father” whose ending tries too had to capture the same sonic wandering of of BSS's previous output. I don't think John McEntire was able to pull this one off, but I'm not sure Dave Newfeld would be able to either. Maybe it's just not that strong of a song, with BSS experimenting to stray from previous sounds while retaining similar aspects. I also noticed this in “Texico Bitches”; there's a really beautiful melody in the song that comes up near the end, but is only given a few seconds before it switches back to key-jangling pop. That moment reminds me a little of the spastic songs of BSS's previous record, lingering on the edge of chaos and collapse. If BSS were in a different place maybe they would have extended it and done more with it, but FRR isn't about what BSS used to be like, it's a representation of who they are now, and they really don't care what you think about it.
This is evident in the next track, “Meet Me in the Basement”. I initially criticized this for being too repetitive, merely an inferior version of “K.C. Accidental”. I still don't think it's that great a track, but BSS isn't concerned with making another “K.C. Accidental” or another YFIIP. This lends to both FRR's advantages and disadvantages. While I think BSS could have done a lot more with “Meet Me In The Basement” as they do in “K.C. Accidental”, tracks like “Sentimental X's” shine because of their originality; “Sentimental X's” really couldn't have fit on any previous BSS album.
FRR ends strong, but not before the potentially-confounding “Sweetest Kill”. I still don't know what to think of “Sweetest Kill”; it has the potential to be a very strong song, as can be heard in the live-recording of it that turned up a few years ago. At the same time it can sound like a bad mainstream radio-friendly pop song. BSS puts on an amazing live-show, and I'm sure “Sweetest Kill” would sound beautiful live, but I think the recording is over-produced to the point that it loses its authenticity; the recording sounds like it's not meant to be duplicated live.
“Romance To The Grave” is one my favorite songs of the record, and part of that is that it combines the sound FRR has built up to this point with similar sonic themes as their last record: the build-ups, wanderings, background vocals, and emotions of that record are all found on this song—and at times I wish all of FRR sounded like this.
“Water In Hell” reminds me (and apparently a lot of other reviewers) of Pavement, maybe a long-lost Spiral Stairs tune off “Wowee Zowee”, but it also reminds me of Brendan Canning's Something For All Of Us, and could probably fit in pretty well on that record.
“Me And My Hand” has been something many reviewers have attacked as being a lack-luster closing song. The first time you hear it, it can be puzzling; it's beautiful, but a stark contrast to the tune before it. I think a lot of other reviewers weren't sure whether it is meant to be a joke. After a few more listens you get past the words and realize Broken Social Scene is a band that can make you uncomfortable; they always find a way of surprising you, and challenging the assumptions you've made about them. But in the end they aren't making the records for you, they're recording because they love making music, and you can tell they had a great time writing and recording Forgiveness Rock Record.
-Sam