Music for a mid life crisis?

Some artists have this natural ability to sum up all the melancholy of this life into timeless tunes that flow effortlessly on their own and into each other. Broken Social Scene could be the epitome of those bands, and frontman Kevin Drew, has put together yet another emotional time capsule with his second solo record, Darlings. A bit more conventional than some BSS records, Drew’s very personal songwriting sounds just as bittersweet with melodies that come and go just as heart wrenching as the cycle of a late spring days. Kevin Drew’s style is multidimensional. On the first few listens the macro-level themes and reflective vibes carve and mold the album into a space for reflection. But with each listen to follow, the subtle incorporation of stylistic sounds, specks and grains, enhances the melodies at large and hold everything together. Kevin Drew’s vocals and lyrics are confessional but also vague; his voice so eager to explain to someone, or you, what he feels. But only either a whisper, for maybe he’s just worn down from everything he’s feeling or strained with wanting. “My God” is bittersweet, slow and steady with a sort of ticking and faint piano and flutters of fingerpicking. Yet there’s an air of perseverance – take “You Gotta Feel It” and “First In Line” two songs whose percussive heartbeats and accumulation of energy and elements (bell-like synths, winds, fuzzy guitar and acoustic guitar) help you forget the sadness for a bit. In contrast, the The entire album seems to sprout from everything about “Bullshit Ballad,” a song that sums up Kevin Drew’s ability to evoke passion, longing, optimism through effortless guitar lines, and a melodic anxiousness that builds to the climax of cymbals and echoes to an uplifting chord progression like when you realize you’ve had enough bullshit and it’s time to break free of your own thoughts. Though after multiple listens, it still may be hard to decide whether the album perpetuates these emotions or sparks a need to do something about them…

RIYL: Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Volcano Choir, Bombay Bicycle Club
Recommended: 1, 2, 5-8, 10