Concert review: Broken Social Scene rises and surges

One of the most fascinating aspects of music is its ability to provide instantaneous feeling. The right series of notes and rhythms can immediately fill you with anything ranging from euphoria and hope to melancholy and misery. The best artists can transmit these emotions to their listeners. Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene fills their records with a strong infectious feeling that you can't help but share. For some bands with high-energy albums, the energy does not transfer from studio to stage. However, this was not the case with Broken Social Scene, who performed on Friday night at the House of Blues in Boston. 

The show began with an opening act, The Sea and Cake. Most of their songs, such as "Parasol," were mellow, but there were also some catchy, more upbeat standouts, including "The Argument" and "Weekend." They had a good set of songs overall, but it lacked variety. The momentum dragged towards the end of their set—this could've been partly due to the audience's impatience to see the main act.

When Broken Social Scene finally took the stage, they had about ten members in tow; the most notable were front man Kevin Drew, guitarist/bassist/vocalist Brendan Canning and vocalist Lisa Lobsinger. They kicked off the set with "KC Accidental," a mainly instrumental track from their sophomore album "You Forgot It In People." Afterwards Drew went on a quick tangent about his recent case of MSG poisoning but was also quick to launch the group into many different songs from all their albums, especially their latest, "Forgiveness Rock Record."

Although the group jumpstarted the excitement with some of their strongest rock anthems, the evening's tone was officially established at the beginning of the set with "7/4 Shoreline," a classic from BSS's self-titled album. Throughout the rising introduction, the musicians' movements became increasingly animated, as if they were drawing from the song's growing intensity. The song's explosive verses were driven by vocals from Lobsinger, who was the band's lone female for the night due to the absence of other members Amy Millan, Emily Haines, and Leslie Feist. The song's energy manifested itself in every member of the band and by the look of the audience, their energy wasn't just confined to the stage. From wall to wall, people were dancing, cheering at each climactic riff, and singing along with Lobsinger and Drew. Everyone was under the same spell of fervent passion, which was maintained throughout the length of the show.

Two of the evening's best moments were also its biggest surprises. In the concert's first half, the group broke out into an out-of-control performance of "Cause=Time" that made the studio version sound like elevator music. The vocals were the song's only form of restraint; when they were gone, the unbound crescendo of guitars and drums came pouring into the room and moved every person in the audience. The second surprise was "Hotel," which is not usually considered one of their more well-known songs. Drew called it "an oldie, but a little dance number," which was a very accurate description—everyone was bobbing along (or in some cases salsa dancing) to the breathy vocals and airy synth beats. Both songs included extended improvisational riffs that clearly distinguished them from their album versions. 

The highlights of the show were the back-to-back performances of romantic staples "Lover's Spit" and "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl." Drew began "Lover's Spit" alone but was soon joined by the instrumentalists who helped carry the rest of the song. Lobsinger executed "Anthems" wonderfully, making every couple in the room swoon and sigh. Other high points included the instrumental experiment of tension and release found in "Meet Me in the Basement," the lamenting ballad "Sweetest Kill" and the heavy-hitting "Forced to Love." At one point Drew literally got carried away when he jumped into the crowd yelling, "Boston, we're coming in!"

There is one lyric in "7/4 Shoreline" that goes, "If you try to do it all/it all will leave you/If you try to steal the beat/the beat will steal you." That is a perfect description of Friday's concert. There was a euphoric sense of release in the House of Blues that night. Both audience and musicians allowed themselves to let go and be carried away by every note and rhythm in the set. The beat stole everyone in the room that night and judging by the palpable feeling of happiness and excitement, they wouldn't have had it any other way.