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This is one for the ages, an album that you will covet, listen to, and live by.
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Spirit If... may be the second-best record any of those associated with Broken Social Scene have issued--whether together, apart, or kind of both.
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Not since Mansun's "Six" have I heard an album twist its songs into a musical Lombard Street--and I can already picture the audience screaming its approval in the break--before a wall of static and synthesizers takes us home. And home is a little nicer place to be after taking a ride on Spirit If...
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Drew makes the most of his solo-album freedom on 'Lucky Ones,' doubling piano and guitar into a hook that, in just a few notes, matches the wonder of any number of BSS songs.
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Spirit If… offers jams that don't really jam, acoustic ballads about fights and lies, and lushly orchestrated songs that come together effortlessly while cracking up hopelessly.
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The pulse of the quieter cuts draws you into dreamy little songs that play out like strolls through an art gallery. Beautiful, if not always transfixing.
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Under The RadarDrew's supple but fragile voice--there's eloquence in his mumblings--guitars providing spots of light and color, and enough layered sounds to keep lively what could otherwise become repetitive. [Summer 2007, p.72]
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Spirit If . . . takes plenty of time to revel in the beauty of its surfaces.
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UncutWith Drew at the helm, however, it becomes a messier, less wholesome affair, seductively so on 'Lucky Ones' and 'Frightening Lives,' which scamper toward some grubby euphoria like a hal-cut Arcade Fire. [Oct 2007, p.87]
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The album's best moments are when Drew's fundamental pop becomes unhinged and thrashes passionately about its aesthetic playground, planetoids seeming at odds in their mad swing through space but connected by some invisible force.
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Tthe record is focused more on the future, on creating an impression, than on immediate satisfaction, giving it an appeal that only strengthens as time goes on, and making Spirit If... another impressive, affective release in the ever-growing Broken Social Scene catalog.
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In the same spirit as Broken Social Scene's baroque pop, his first album stitches together the psychedelic, lo-fi montages and creates something unworldly and unique.
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If you’re at all familiar with the previous work of Broken Social Scene, then nothing on this album will sound new or particularly fresh.
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So while Drew’s songwriting roots remain strong, he and the BSS family tree need to watch their creative waistlines, lest the spirited Canadian musical movement they’re responsible for should hit its saturation point too soon.
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It sounds very much like the disjointed collection of rickety epics about fucking and frustration you'd expect from a BSS disc.
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Q MagazineDrew's little-boy-lost whine on the likes of 'Gangbang Suicide' occasionally grates, but the supreme soft-rock anthemics on 'Lucky Ones' more than compensates. [Oct 2007, p.94]
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MojoThe best of these songs are easily a match for Broken Social Scene. [Nov 2007, p.106]
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SpinDespite numerous cameos from his mates, Drew still sounds orphaned and adrift. [Oct 2007, p.96]
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When Drew tones down his approach on tracks like 'Safety Bricks' and 'Gang Bang Suicide,' the result is underwhelming and seems to want for additional input.
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There are cool reminisces (opener 'Farewell to the Pressure Kids,' 'Safety Bricks'), but the bulk is derivative.
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It sounds like Drew would still benefit from having his Canadian ragtag team behind him though, because his solo effort just isn't very strong.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 37
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Mixed: 3 out of 37
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Negative: 2 out of 37
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BenM.Oct 30, 2007
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NickR.Oct 28, 2007
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CablesOct 8, 2007