Prince Edward Island’s East Pointers slightly recalled countrymen Great Lake Swimmers and a more restrained Avett Brothers, a pleasant blend of indie (North) Americana and folky storytelling. The celebratory “7/4 (Shoreline)” ratcheted up the energy level for the set’s home stretch, with “Almost Crimes,” “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day),” “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” and “Lover’s Spit,” all from 2005 or earlier, closing out the show.įellow Canadians The East Pointers and Melissa Laveaux served as support acts. They all want to fuck the cause.” BSS, whose members frequently switch instruments, for his song deployed a 5-guitar lineup, which alternatively thrashed and soared.īSS reached back to 2010’s outstanding “Forgiveness Rock Record” for “Forced To Love,” Drew, guitar-less now, working the crowd, the tense verses leading to quasi-release in the chorus.Īfter Engle offered the dreamy “Gonna Get Better,” Drew jumped into the grass to deliver the ballad “Sweetest Kill.” Another quiet highlight was the Brendan Canning ballad “Handjobs for the Holidays.” One of the few tunes sung by the band cofounder at Central Park, the whispery track fluttered to a soft landing on a decrescendo of saxophone. “And they all want to love the cause,” sang Drew, “because they all need to be the cause. Ariel Engle took center stage to lead the band through “Protest Song,” from new album “Hug of Thunder.” Drew reclaimed frontperson duties for “Cause = Time” from 2002’s sophomore album, “You Forgot It In People.” It was a funny and poignant moment of release, but what went unspoken was an even bigger gesture from BSS and the Consulate General of Canada - which put on the Canada Day event: a free show gifted to New Yorkers who are used to paying in the $50 range for a band with such considerable cachet and critical acclaim.Ĭognizant of the unrelenting sunshine, the 10-piece band toiled to keep the energy level high, both onstage and in the crowd (which Drew ventured into at one point), opening with the majestic instrumental “Pacific Theme,” with saxophone and trombone filling out the band’s lush sound, which has much more space than on the band’s albums. “Since we’re probably going to war,” frontman Kevin Drew said near the end of afternoon show at the park’s Summer Stage, “we’ll lose and apologize for it.” Saying he’s sorry for the division between the two countries, he led the audience in a therapeutic scream. and our neighbors to the north (really?!). NEW YORK, NY - On a sweltering Sunday in Central Park, a few days before the Fourth of July, Canadian indie collective Broken Social Scene offered a peace offering amid rising tensions between the U.S.
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