Throw the new Broken Social Scene disc immediately into my favorite albums of 2005 list. It's still not the most accessible music in the world, and most of the songs are a little too busy to be distilled into easy-to-digest hooks. But part of the appeal is how the band manages to throw a bunch of sounds and vocals together and come ever so close to breaking down into disorder, yet always manage to keep things coherent. It's odd that way because while a lot of indie types would look at BSS as purveyors of near perfectly executed indie pop, it's a long way from having the crossover appeal of the Killers or Franz Ferdinand. And in that way they're perhaps the perfect indie band; they'll never get too popular to alienate their original fanbase. I realize it' retarded, but I think there's a lot of truth to it.

It's by no means a radical departure from 2003's You Forgot it in People, an album which I really liked, but never found myself digging up for repeated listens. In any case, in a week where Franz Ferdinand, My Morning Jacket, the Magic Numbers, and Metric also released new albums, this is the only one I've actually been listening to. Even with a rotating cast of vocalists--Kevin Drew, Leslie Feist, Emily Haines among others--there's a great continuity to the album and the pervading sense that you're listening to a great band. My fave tracks are "Swimmers" (a down-tempo, Emily Haines-sung track), "Hotel" (a chiller, bass-and-percussion-heavy track with a Motown horn section placed in the middle), and the previously-posted "7/4 (shoreline)"...here's another decent one:

Broken Social Scene / "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Half)" (from Said the Gramophone)

******

When you become an NFL quarterback, it's always good to go back to college as soon as possible and be photographed drunk. Good times for Bears rookie and Purdue alum Kyle Orton.


******

I tend to at least casually follow pretty much every sport, and that includes MLS soccer. It's hard because there are few pro soccer fans period, and most that like European soccer tend to rag on MLS, since it's still an inferior league. No matter, I've still got love for 16-year old (and great American hope) Freddy Adu, especially when he scores sick goals like this.

*****

I don't foresee the purchase of The Go! Team's Thunder, Lightning Strike in my future, but some of the tracks are decent--check out a directory of the album here. Very retro-popish sound, and tons of horns. Vaguely reminds me of Citizen King. If "3-2-1 Contact" ever came back, The Go! Team should provide the soundtrack.

*****

Slate's take on:
- the dumbing down of the US Army.
- a brief history of Bill Simmons aka The Sports Guy.