Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene, back together after a nearly half-decade on hiatus while various members pursued their other bands and solo projects, is back together and playing at the Michigan Theater Wednesday night.

The group’s new album, due May 4, is called “Forgiveness Rock Record.” Current core members, besides founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, are Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Sam Goldberg and Lisa Lobsinger. The CD also includes a number of contributors, including former member Leslie Feist, Scott Kanneberg (of Pavement) and Emily Haines (Metric).

“It’s more fun than being in a 4-piece band,” Canning told Rolling Stone, when asked about the large number of guest performers on the record.

Indications are Broken Social Scene is back in a big way. A recent South By Southwest Music festival gig received strong reviews. Entertainment Weekly wrote that “epic grandeur is a quality that many of the artists at SXSW strive for; I haven’t seen anyone get there more convincingly than BSS … While they are indeed still working out how to perform some of their new tunes, they nailed quite a few.”

“These are our new anthems,” Drew told the crowd, before performing new tunes such as “Texico Bitches,” “Sweetest Kill,” “Meet Me in the Basement” and “Forced to Love.”

Formed in Toronto in 1999 by Canning and Drew, who brought many of their musical friends on board, Broken Social Scene released “Feel Good Lost” in 2001 and “You Forgot It In People” in 2002. Building a fanbase by word of mouth and positive reviews, their 3d album, the self-titled “Broken Social Scene” came out in 2005.

Besides its revolving-door roster, Broken Social Scene is known for orchestrations featuring guitars, horns, woodwinds, and violins; unusual song structures; and an experimental production style. Six years ago the band was put on hold so members could pursue various solo and side projects, among them “Broken Social Scene Presents …” a series of albums that began with “Kevin Drew, Spirit If...” Drew played in Ann Arbor in November 2007 in support of the new CD.

Although Canning and Drew weren’t giving interviews for this tour, Drew did speak to the online music magazine Pitchfork in February about the tunes on the new CD.

“We had lots of conversations about how we could sing about our views and opinions without trying to make a poor man’s R.E.M. song. It was a challenge to personalize everything and embrace the state of the planet,” said Drew.

“I love a distraction as much as the next guy but we always feel some urgency to speak about what’s going on. I remember when U2’s single (‘Get On Your Boots’) came out, I thought, ‘All right, what’s it gonna be? What’s the man gonna sing about?’ And Bono's opening line was like, ‘I don’t wanna talk about politics, I just wanna rock!’ And I thought, ‘Uh oh — we’re in trouble.’ This is a crazy state of limbo right now and we tried to embrace it and bring those subjects up here and there. We’ve always been a band that sings about exactly what's inside of us and exactly what's happening outside as well. Like, if we’re screaming, let’s have something to scream about.”

(For a free download of “World Sick,” visit the band’s web site.)

One thing about a Broken Social Scene show — you never know who is going to show up.

During 1 performance last summer, they were joined by Feist. For another, they were joined by nearly all past contributors, including Feist, Emily Haines and James Shaw, Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, John Crossingham, Jason Collett and Julie Penner.

For the Ann Arbor gig, publicist Kelly Vallon would only say, when asked about the line-up, “We cannot guarantee anything because they are known to change things at the last minute.”

One thing that can probably be guaranteed is fans will be treated to the latest chapter in the evolution of this always-interesting Canadian band. It’s a story that’s still being written.


Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.

Broken Social Scene performing “World Sick ” live in September: