Revisited: Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew-Spirit If…

I bought this album five years ago. What I remember from that time was that I liked some of it, but it couldn’t hold my attention for the entire ride. It was like hitting the first two dips on a roller coaster and then just shutting my eyes and napping the rest of the way, or parachuting out and meeting everyone at the end. It was a strange thing, because after getting my hands back on it after so long I absolutely love this record. The rough-around-the-edges style of the production, the cringe-worthy honesty of the writing, and the bombastic rock ‘n roll mixed with the acoustic folk rock songs, it just feels like a great and meaty read. It’s sort of the same thing I went through while reading Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo novels. It took me two tries and about 100 pages of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo before I fell under that series spell. Once I locked in I was hooked. Same thing with Spirit If. Under all the grit, Holden Caufield-esque squirmy honesty, and genre ride there lies simple and quite beautiful songwriting. Wonderful pop gems that have “seen some shit, man.” From ‘Farewell To the Pressure Kids’, ‘Tbtf’, ‘F-ked Up Kid’, and ‘Safety Bricks’ we’re taken on a journey of young love, young lust, and the all-encompassing need to feel wanted in this world. ‘Lucky Ones’ has the the strum-along quaintness and scream-from-your-gut chorus that Arcade Fire fill every one of their albums with. ‘Back Out On The’ has J Mascis spreading his sonic goodness all over the track. ‘Bodhi Sappy Weekend’ has a lush arrangement, like an indie rock version of Sgt. Pepper. It quickly becomes this tripped-out psychedelic mantra of a song, synths and horns whisping by your ears as you try not to get dizzy. The album closes with a hotel room sing-a-long with some of Kevin Drew’s friends and fiends in Broken Social Scene.

I can say without a doubt that I misjudged this album back in 2008 when I bought it. I wasn’t ready to hear it, I suppose. Sometime that happens. Sometimes the head is willing to open the ears for new sounds, but the heart isn’t on the same page. I’d heard good things about the record, and had been smitten with BSSs You Forgot It In People for some time. I figured this record was the next logical step. Well, not at that point in my life it wasn’t. I feel I’ve really opened up as a listener in the last few years. I’m not looking for the quick fix. The two minute pop nugget that will ingrain itself into my head. Those are awesome, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve grown to appreciate the records that don’t reveal all their secrets to me in the first listen. It’s sort of like a relationship. Relationships that last are the ones that keep revealing something new throughout the years. To be able to see your significant other evolve over the years, while at their core stay true to the person you fell in love with. That’s my relationship with music nowadays. I’ve learned that for the most part first impressions mark the future of any relationship. I’ve also learned that we’re human and sometimes we may come across as a complete asshole the first time we meet someone. So I always give someone the benefit of the doubt upon first meeting them. I hope they do the same with me. My relationship with records is very much the same thing. At first, a record may come across as an asshole. But after a few more listens, you may realize you kinda love that asshole.

Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew- Spirit If… was at first kind of an asshole. Or maybe I was the asshole. Either way, we totally love each other now.