Photo by Jimmy Grotting

Broken Social Scene
Tipitina’s
New Orleans, LA
February 15

Broken Social Scene is more than a name; it’s a testament to the collective’s hard-to-pinpoint sound and characteristic of how the band operates as a somewhat-detached unit of musicians. Each member brings the polarizing approaches into the mix, at times finding a coherent, easy-to-swallow sound, and in other instances the songs dissolve into a clutter of 7-10 musicians searchingly manufacturing discordant dissonance. With four guitars generally going at varying speeds, horns, keys/synths, and a revolving cast of members bouncing on-and-off stage throughout the night, trying to unpack the many layers and figure out who’s playing, what genre we’re in is not an easy task. On a Tuesday night in uptown New Orleans, the masses came out in support of the peculiar, increasingly popular, and seminally influential indie rock band.

A mellifluous, yet slightly underwhelming take on “7/4 Shoreline” followed the early heavy-hitting dance-pop of “Texico Bitches” , a song getting one of the biggest crowd responses of the night from the unnervingly crowded Tipitina’s floor. Lisa Lobsinger’s presence as lead vocalist served as a nice replacement for past female vocalists Feist, Amy Millan and Amy Haines, filling some big shoes and providing a nice contrast to the overload of testosterone on-stage otherwise. The set was heavy on tunes from the 2005 self-titled record like the post-punk jam “Superconnected” and notable inclusions from their newest LP like the percussive and fluttery “World Sick” . Towards the end of the lengthy 2+ hour set the band finally reached an apex of musical synergy as Broken Social Scene ripped through the rollicking instrumental jam on “Meet Me in the Basement,” an excellent fulcrum track from 2010’s critically-acclaimed Foregiveness Rock Record that had everyone on stage playing at full-bore in honor of vocalist/ Kevin Drew’s 92-year old grandmother (who had learned earlier in the day she needed to have a leg amputated), conjuring the energy of the crowd to pay tribute.

Overall, the show had its defining moments where the band was locked in tight and engaged each other in hypnotic fashion, but in the end I’d be pushing it to offer a gushingly positive review. I see Broken Social Scene’s appeal and why they are an influential and highly relevant force in the indie rock universe, but the brilliance of the band on record didn’t translate 100% on the stage on this night.