God love Brendan Canning. The Broken Social Scene second banana acquits himself admirably on his solo record. This is the second instalment in the Broken Social Scene Presents series (with the first being the sublime Spirit If… by the aforementioned Mr Drew) and you get the feeling that Canning has a lot to live up to. The good news is that Brendan makes an impressive stab at it, employing 20 or so Broken Social Scenesters and putting them to good use. The record is an enjoyable, yet by no means essential listen that goes to some lengths to prove that the musician is a skilled songwriter in his own right – but it will inevitably be dwarfed by whatever material BSS come out with next.
Key track: ‘All The Best Wooden Toys Come From Germany’