All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Playlouder

Like The Polyphonic Spree stripped of all their faux compound dwelling arse wittery, this is an unambiguous shot of serotonin straight to your head and heart.

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Filter

One might be a bit startled by how much, well, more broken this new [album] sounds. [#17, p.92]

All Music Guide

The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities.

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New York Magazine

Broken Social Scene has pulled off the rare feat of making a heavily produced record sound instinctive and spontaneous.

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Drowned In Sound

Where YFIIP meticulously arranged the collective of instrumentation for precision, like a ballet, this self-titled album throws everything into a blender, almost completely overwhelming the pretty melodies underneath - but not quite.

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Under The Radar

This is the sound of things all falling apart, and few albums this year have sounded better. [#11, p.105]

Uncut

There's a real effort to forge beauty out of chaos without losing any of the chaos. [Album of the Month, Jan 2006, p.100]

Mojo

An effervescent rush of melody, invention and magic. [Jan 2006, p.119]

Austin Chronicle

This album is alive.

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Pitchfork

This exercise in excess makes the ambitious You Forgot It in People seem positively understated by comparison.

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Stylus Magazine

Though it loses its momentum in the final few tracks, and prevents me from giving it the downright slobbering it might otherwise deserve, Broken Social Scene, much like its release day partner, You Could Have it So Much Better..., is a cinder in the eye of all the indie-haters.

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Spin

A multifaceted, densely layered sound. [Oct 2005, p.138]

Almost Cool

In places, the group seems like they're being almost willfully difficult, and yet it often makes for darn good listening.

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ShakingThrough.net

The group has lost some of the accessibility of You Forgot it in People, which wore its heart on its sleeve with fewer emotional contradictions, but has maintained the same emotional neediness at the previous album's heart.

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Paste Magazine

Broken Social Scene builds on gentle nuances, compounding its effect incrementally with each track.

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Amazon.com

Not so much a series of songs as it is a musical mood.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

But no matter how much I sit here listening to Broken Social Scene, and no matter how special most of these tracks are, they lack the cohesiveness that made You Forgot it in People, and even Feel Good Lost, something to get ecstatic about.

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Billboard

A richly textured collection of songs that further explore the possibilities of the group's grooving dream-pop blueprint but stays just weird enough not to attract the ear of mainstream radio.

Blender

The album's plush and detailed enough to invite extensive exploration, and varied enough to not get exhausting. [Oct 2005, p.135]

Lost At Sea

Feels like being caught up in a creative whirlwind; every song at some point grants you the position of the fly on the wall - being privy to a group of people just chilling out, making music and living the good life.

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New Musical Express

Absolutely stunning. [4 Feb 2006, p.29]

cokemachineglow

The disc is disjointed, lacks much in the way of cohesive musical character, and ultimately never really reaches to be anything more than a bunch of decent songs held together in the semblance of an album.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Even a mellowed Broken Social Scene sports more energy and ideas than a dozen mainstream rock acts.

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Prefix Magazine

The record’s overwhelming scale cuts both ways. There are so many artists, voices and instruments begging to be heard that trimming is as much an injustice to the collective nature of the group as leaving in the excess is to the final product.

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Q Magazine

What on paper might sound like a recipe for disaster in fact turns into a triumph. [Jan 2006, p.125]

musicOMH.com

Cerebral listening.

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The Guardian

This eponymous album mixes grunge, garage, classical, punk, prog and much else into an exuberant melange that sometimes feels as if several songs are going on at once.

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Dot Music

It is not a terrible album by any means; just an unfocussed and sprawling one.

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No Ripcord

A compelling failure.

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PopMatters

Broken Social Scene is a gratuitous collection of repetitive pocket-symphony anthems for the indie set and an unsuccessful regurgitation of You Forgot It in People's rareness.

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The New York Times

Broken Social Scene confuses integrity with indulgence, burying good songs under way too much studio tomfoolery. [10 Oct 2005]

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 106 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sam H gave it a10:
One of the best albums ever, beautiful from start to finish, almost two years since it was released, and I still listen to it regularly.

Jean-Michel F gave it a6:
By no way as good as their first. An highly overrated, unfocused effort. Not an essential one.

Drew K gave it an8:
Very good but not classic or essential. This album is definitely a grower.

Nick T. gave it a10:
It's hard to find music that is both immediately catchy yet undeniably affecting and deep. Broken Social Scene is able to do this with what seems like the utmost ease, and it show's with this self-titled masterpiece. This album is a poppy, rocky, emotional, nostalgiac, etherial, etc. rollercoster ride. Also, if you ever get the chance to see these guys live, you must. They are unbelievable.

Isaac L gave it a9:
Another great BSS release that finishes better than one would think from the band's third release and follow up to You Forgot It In People. While this release was not as strong as expected it sures shows that the musical fire from BSS is still burning your flesh off! An A+ album from start to finish. Broken Social Scene will forever be synonymous with terrific music and there's no exception here with the feel-good music that they continue to create. Get up and dance to this one!

Stewart H gave it a10:
Shows that there is great beauty and pop greatness in chaos. Absolutely love this record!!

Richard E gave it a9:
Awesome.....seriously blows your mind!

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