Spirit If...
Kevin Drew
Feist, James Shaw
Producer: Charles Spearin, Kevin Drew, Ohad Benchetrit
Arts & Crafts, 2007
1 CD
Catalogue #: A&C027
EAN: 0827590270022
UPC: 827590270022
You save: 20%
Personnel: Kevin Drew (acoustic guitar); J Mascis, Andrew Whiteman, Brendan Canning (guitar); Spiral Stairs (guitars); David Newfeld, Charles Spearin (acoustic guitar); Julie Penner (violin); James Shaw (trumpet); Evan Cranley (trombone); Gonzales (piano); Jason Tate, Andrew Kenny (vibraphone); Ohad Benchetrit (bass guitar); Joules Scott Key, Julie Peroff, David Mitchell, Justin Peroff (drums); Emily Haines, Feist, Jason Collett, Tom Cochrane, Bill Priddle, Amy Millan (background vocals).
The first in a series of proposed BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS releases, 2007's SPIRIT IF is the debut solo album by BSS keys player Kevin Drew. Not surprisingly, though, many other members of the Canadian indie-rock collective pop by for a visit, including in-demand singer Feist and the Do Make Say Think duo of Ohad Benchetrit and Charles Spearin, making the record sound an awful lot like a full-on Broken Social Scene outing. Highlights of the eclectic set include the New Wave-tinged "Frightening Lives" and the quirky electro-pop tune "Big Love." Most notably, however, SPIRIT directly connects Drew with his alt-rock precursors when Dinosaur Jr. guitarist/vocalist J. Mascis joins in on the glorious six-string workout "Backed Out on The...," which easily stands out as the dynamic album's most majestic moment.
Tracklist
Kevin Drew
A key member of Toronto, Canada's indie collective Broken Social Scene, singer/guitarist Kevin Drew branched out on his own with 2007's SPIRIT IF., a collection of songs largely inspired by early-1990s alternative rock. Though Drew's solo work tends to hew fairly closely to the band's sound, it is often more straightforward than the group's sometimes-abstract aesthetic, making it a fine point of entry for those interested in navigating the expansive BSS waters.
Feist
Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist has fronted punk bands, played in Broken Social Scene, and backed her pal Peaches, but is most beloved for her introspective folk-pop solo albums, which she releases between side jaunts. She possesses an ethereal voice that slides effortlessly into a haunting soprano, and applies this to melodic tunes that brush up against electronica, Tin Pan Alley pop, and good old-fashioned confessional folk. She has been remixed by various DJs and collaborated with hipsters both current (the Postal Service) and vintage (Jane Birkin). Her 2007 album, THE REMINDER, topped many critics' best-of-the-year lists.
