Despite the split-second opening pause to gauge the depth of the mix, it’s off the starting blocks to a flyer for BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE’S new single.
The latest release from 2005's critically acclaimed eponymously-monickered album is a pop moment in the midst of all that horn-enriched chaos, and jungle skit/drum warfare. 'Fire Eye'd Boy' identifies itself from the rest of this widely-praised and indigenous fanfare to dreamlike melancholia with only the briefest of nods to traditional rock structure.
Momentum-gathering off beats increase the gathering pulse of the track, with tribal incantations joining the echo of guitar harmonics and woodwind already shifting in and out of focus amidst tracks played in reverse.
At times we are engulfed in a kind of shambolic freefall, as rolling beats and heavy riffs replicate a brewing storm that happily lays waste to the rockier end of the indie spectrum - this whilst remaining tethered to the ensuing destruction.
The celebrations are slowly getting out of control. Held down by just the beat, but not without a struggle – ‘Fire Eye’d Boy’ is explosive in a way that only layers and layers of indie-pop can be. As far as mental pictures are concerned, this isn’t far off lava flow, but dare I refer to a tune that matches temperature with urgency as volcanic?
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The beachcombing dynamic is barely able to contain the dynamic duet within, as we are reminded of the seemingly distant days when this 11-15 strong Vancouver collective was but a two-piece concern. Driven by a thunderous rhythm that seems hell-bent on slicing through all known feedback, only the purest pop ethic remains tethered to the mast. That Peter Hook bassline and helicopter drumming form the basis for a dreamy, distorted melody that becomes a strong and irresistible undercurrent.
Sounds a bit much for a single, all that lot doesn't it. There's a hell of a lot going on here though, it has to be said.
It is, when all is said and done, very catchy, absorbing and certainly no fluke - a theory often bandied about by the doubters when the subject of BSS's music comes up. Good listen!
http://www.myspace.com/brokensocialscene
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