Local Airwaves is your source for the lowdown on tracks soon to be heard on WKNC. This week’s album is “Hug Of Thunder” by Broken Social Scene.
After a six-year hiatus, Broken Social Scene returns with their latest album “Hug Of Thunder.” The question is, how good is it? And was it worth the wait?
As someone who is not formally acquainted with Broken Social Scene or a majority of their prior catalogue, I decided to take a look at this album from an outsider’s perspective. As Broken Social Scene have obviously established their following and earned their reputation as an indie-rock icon, I don’t see the need to try to compare this album to their previous works so much. While understanding the direction of a band and comparing how it’s changed over the years is sometimes a valuable perspective to have when looking at an album, it may work against the group after such a long hiatus.
Built up anticipation, nostalgia and years of compounded review can cause fans and critics alike to create an unfair expectation of what a new album should be. As such, I think it’s only fair to try to review this album from the perspective of whether or not it can stand on its own, without the stigma or hype that a fan of the group might be attaching to it.
To start off, “Hug Of Thunder” falls somewhere on the subgenre spectrum between experimental indie and indie pop. There are some rock roots that show in the guitar riffs here and there, and on the quieter songs you can feel a stronger gritty vibe hidden beneath layers of harmonies and atmospheric synths laced with reverb and echo. For the most part though, the album comes off as dreamy and oddly pure, kind of like Polyphonic Spree but without the elitism of being clad in white robes and having an entire choir to back one guy playing the guitar.
This album seems self-aware enough to know that it doesn’t need to pander. None of it feels forced in the way that a beloved 90’s grunge band returning for their 20th album would; this is music made for the sake of making music. Not for the sake of money or to please a rabid fanbase, or even to keep the legend of the band going in some way. It only makes sense that this would be the case as well, since all of the members appear to be financially stable and artistically fulfilled through a series of other associated acts, including other beloved indie bands such as Metric, Feist and Stars. “Hug Of Thunder” comes from an emotionally true place, made with care and precision.
The best way to describe it would be to say that “Hug Of Thunder” is an exceptionally pretty album. It’s cleanly produced, very intricate in terms of vocals and instrumentation, and the songwriting favors the style excellently. But there’s a flipside to being pretty and picturesque as an indie band, and that’s that you start to edge closer and closer to sounding like generic indie. In particular, the kind of indie that people associate with being a genre, instead of a financial or promotional standpoint in a band’s career. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can also mean losing that unique, personal charm that lesser known bands are typically known for.
As it stands, “Hug Of Thunder” is an album obsessed with overall sound instead of moments. You probably won’t differentiate much between tracks on this album unless you’re really into that style of sound. Even more likely, you won’t be able to pick out a specific riff or vocal run that you particularly loved. It’s a steady, consistent ride to the finish, which is all well and good if you’re obsessed with the nuances of this particular type of ride, but is easily viewed as repetitive or lacking in substance if you aren’t already a fan of the general aesthetic.
Overall, I’d say “Hug Of Thunder” is a good album. It’s got all the elements of good songwriting and performance, and it doesn’t try to pander to the band’s prior audience. You may find it difficult to get past the outer layer of the album’s sound, but give it a listen either way. It might be just right for you, even if it wasn’t for me.
