Broken Social Scene - '7/4 Shoreline' (Arts & crafts Productions) Released 27/03/06

This is just fantastic, the unrealised promise of Primal Scream’s techno rock realised more effectively by this Canadian collective. Harnessing techno rhythm with a rock foundation, the overall sound continually verges on a total collapse into distortion without ever petering over the edge. This is a manic dance at the fringe of avant-rock. ‘7/4 Shoreline’ moves with a hysterical energy and marries increasingly distorted vocals around a hole where the guitars should be. When they do eventually rip a whole in the wall, it’s with the loose thrash of prime Sonic Youth. ‘Stars and Spit’ is more content to sit on the groove with all manner of sounds and effects jumping in and out of the mix around the monolithic beat.