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Broken Social Scene Announce New Album

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After a five-year wait, Toronto’s indie rock supa-dupa-group Broken Social Scene will return May 4 with a new yet-to-be-titled album.

The release features the six core members behind the past two BSS records, including founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, plus regular contributors like Leslie Feist, Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, Jason Collett, Stars’ Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, and experimental eight-piece orchestral group Do Make Say Think.

Also interesting are the new members of the BSS family.

Pavement guitarist Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannenberg, ex-Death From Above 1979 singer/drummer Sebastien Grainger, Tortoise bassist Doug McCombs, Sea and Cake singer/guitarist Sam Prekop, and the Weakerthans drummer Jason Tait all contribute tothe upcoming album.

And that’s not all! Violinist/singer Susan Voelz of Chicago’s Poi Dog Pondering and cellist Helen Money, a.k.a. Alison Chesley, also appear on the May release.

Yowsa. That brings the BSS family to — counting, counting — over 25!

For the new record, the core six-member group — Drew, Canning, guitarist Charles Spearin, guitarist/singer Andrew Whiteman, guitarist Sam Goldberg, and drummer Justin Peroff — wrote and recorded over 40 new songs at Shaw and Grainger’s Giant Studios in Toronto in early 2009. Next, the group headed to Chicago to track at Soma Studios with Tortoise’s John McEntire, who co-produced the album.

The new album, like the band’s past efforts, “is driven by love,” a statement explains.

While the May release is the first proper BSS record since 2005’s acclaimed self-titled effort, the band’s members certainly haven’t been lazing around. BSS has toured relentlessly, dropping by fests like Bonnaroo, and Drew and Canning both dropped quasi-solo records as part of the Broken Social Scene Presents… series. Spearin, meanwhile, worked on his experimental Happiness Project, while Whiteman released a pair of albums under his Apostle of Hustle moniker.

BSS hit the road for a few North American dates this spring/summer behind their new album. Check out the itinerary below.

5/1, San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)
5/3, Los Angeles, CA (Henry Fonda Theatre)
5/7, New York, NY (Webster Hall)
6/19, Toronto, ON (Toronto Island / w/ Pavement, Band of Horses)