KEVIN DREW

Darlings

2014-05-04

Kevin Drew's second solo studio release "Darings" is a good transition Broken Social Scene's 2010 "Forgiveness Rock Record." Drew, the creative force behind Broken Social Scene (a band with anywhere between 6 - 12 members) has helped the band reach success and help launch the careers of musicians like Grammy Award-nominated Feist. While Drew's 2007 release, Spirit if..., was clearly an extension of what his band does, Darlings slips farther away from the Broken Social Scene style. 

While still reminicent of what he has done for his 15 year long career, Darlings is much more relaxed and minimalistic compared to the sound one would expect from Kevin Drew.  Whether intentional or not, Darlings is mising some of the elements that made Broken Social Scene's music so outstanding: high energy songs, layers of sound, and intentional experiementation.  What's not missing is the odd but entertaining subject matter that Drew covers in his songs. The titles of tracks like "Mexican Aftershow Party," "Good Sex," and "Body Butter" can make it hard to take the music seriously, but Drew makes it work.  If you take Darlings and compare it to the rest of Kevin Drew's career, its hard to pinpoint his progression and growth over the past few years. In fact, it Darlings could be seen as a digression from the Broken Social Scene sound he built. But Darlings seems to be meaningfully more subtle than Drew's high energy past. That is where the genius lies. 

Brian Boyce

Recommended Tracks: #3 It's Cool, #1 Body Butter, #6 First in Line, #5 You Gotta Feel it.

FCC warning: #7 Bulls-t Ballad

Quick Links:

• Kevin Drew's Official Website