MOST solo albums are a chance for their maker to move away from the confines of their parent band. As Broken Social Scene, the ever-changing collective Kevin Drew leads, aren’t renowned for having any confines, his second lone excursion travels in completely the opposite direction.
Darlings is tight, disciplined and conventional, with only flashes of the chaotic grandeur which marks so much of BSS’s work, and many of their fans won’t be happy about that. However, on its own merits, this is an excellent album.
Yes, it’s essentially mainstream, with echoes of The National, U2 from the 1980s and Tunnel Of Love-era Springsteen, but the songwriting is superb, particularly on the windswept You In Your Were (with Leslie Feist in vocal support), piano-driven closer And That’s All I Know and the sinister, industrial Mexican Aftershow Party.
It almost feels as if Drew is relieved at not having to stretch himself through experimentation and to meet expectation. Listen to Darlings for what it is, and its quality will shine through.
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