Very Spirited

I'll put this right on the line, right now. It is my personal belief that Arts and Crafts is the absolute best record label in the world. I realize other labels might feel a little slighted by that, and I've also gotta profess my undying love for Sub Pop, Jagjaguwar, Merge, Mute and Saddle Creek because they're all absolutely wonderful as well. And to the smaller labels I didn't mention, please don't be angry- I probably like you too...I'm not trying to single anybody out here (while simultaneously that's exactly what I'm doing). But anyways...Arts and Crafts. As a U.S. citizen, is it unpatriotic of me to love a Canadian record label so much? I don't know, but there you have it.

My passion for any label depends on the artist roster, of course. In the case of Arts and Crafts, home to such artists like Broken Social Scene, Stars, Feist, The Dears, The Hidden Cameras, Phoenix, Apostle of Hustle, The Most Serene Republic, and Los Campesinos! among others, I can't really think of a more stellar lineup than that. Yes, I'm aware that a lot of the artists signed to the label are responsible for multiple projects on that label (I'm looking at you Broken Social Scenesters). I'm just amazed that such a talent pool can be amassed from such a small group of people.

With Broken Social Scene on "indefinite hiatus" (a concept I couldn't be more upset about), and many of its members retreating back to their own individual projects, they've come up with the "in the meantime" idea of releasing a set of "Broken Social Scene Presents..." records. What I call it is a "series of solo-ish records by members of Broken Social Scene who have no actual side projects to go to." Such is the case with BSS main dude Kevin Drew, and he just happens to be the first person to put out a record in this series. September 18th is the big release date on the album "Spirit If..." and I for one can't wait.

For those curious and wondering what a Kevin Drew record might sound like, the answer is surprisingly quaint: it sounds like a slightly less complicated, slightly easier to swallow Broken Social Scene record. I mean that in the nicest and best way possible. As a person aching for new BSS material, this record serves as a shockingly good substitute. Then again, I can't imagine what else I might expect from a Kevin Drew solo record. Also, I'm about 99% sure the "Broken Social Scene Presents..." label is intended to indicate that some (if not all) members of the collective played on this record, just not everybody on every track. It would explain a lot, particularly why there seem to be less elements at work in each song but the individual pieces still feel very Broken Social Scene. Or this whole comparison could be all in my head and it's just Kevin Drew's familiar voice playing mind games with me. Actually, if that were true then I think I'd be calling Apostle of Hustle and Jason Collett BSS imitators as well, which they aren't.

The disappointment with "Spirit If..." comes in the fully realized truth that this is indeed NOT a Broken Social Scene album (legitimately). It doesn't quite pack that full-on punch. What I mean by that is almost everything sounds closer to what I'd call the "smooth groove" side of BSS rather than the explosive powder keg power chorus side. There's no "7/4 Shoreline" or "Cause = Time" on the record. Instead most of the songs are closer to "Major Label Debut," "Marketfresh" and "Passport Radio" instead. I'm not calling that a bad thing (even though traditionally the more upbeat BSS tracks are my favorite), but it hopefully works to give you a better idea of what you're in for.

A few tracks do break expectations though. I didn't anticipate the electronica-based "Frightening Lives" or the almost Dinosaur Jr.-like electric guitars on "Backed Out On The...," but instead of being taken aback by how different they were from the rest of the record I embraced them as an attempt to shake things up and help to give this Kevin Drew record some distinction on its own. I'm happy with the risks taken in that respect. After all, if it weren't for those couple songs I'd probably just ignore the name "Kevin Drew" on the front cover and this discussion would be all about how wonderful the new Broken Social Scene album is.

To finish up, let me just make a plea for the release of a fresh, legit Broken Social Scene record. That could be awhile, considering this "Broken Social Scene Presents..." thing is a series, with Brendan Canning set to take over the reins next time. Still, I miss those massively complicated pieces of music with the occasional fireworks-like bang of a chorus and things of that nature. Kevin Drew does some genius work here with his BSS compatriots, but the end product is more "Feel Good Lost" with dominant vocals than "You Forgot It In People," which basically means that it's a sound that's beautiful and of near-masterpiece quality but isn't quite over that hump yet. Perhaps ironically "Spirit If..." also holds more similar sonic qualities to "Feel Good Lost" than anything else I've probably ever heard which reiterates my point yet again. By this point I've said way more than I intended to, so I'll close on this: if you like BSS then you'll very much like (maybe even love) this Kevin Drew album. Hell, I've only been listening to it for a few days and am already considering one of my top albums of the year. September 18th can't come soon enough. This is the PERFECT fall record.

Kevin Drew- Fucked Up Kid (via YSI)
Kevin Drew- Aging Faces/Losing Places (via YSI)

Alternate Links (if the above ones go down):
Kevin Drew- Fucked Up Kid (left click)
Kevin Drew- Aging Faces/Losing Places (left click)

Preorder "Spirit If..." from Amazon

Labels: broken social scene, kevin drew