This one’s tough. We love Drew’s will-they-won’t-they Broken Social Scene project, but the man who is just as likely to jam with J. Mascis as he is to have tea with Feist’s mom is a bit of a mouthpiece. Okay - just stick to the music, and we love the music on Darlings, his first post-BSS solo LP. It’s just as lush (“It’s Cool”, “You Gotta Feel It”) as 2007’s Spirit If…, as random (“Mexican After Show Party”) as 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record and just as important as anything he, or any other songwriter-who-ended-his-band-three-years-ago’s project might be. The only thing missing that Spirit If… had in spades? Those guest stars. Thing is - you don’t really miss ‘em. Drew was always kind of the best part of BSS - and most of the members are better on their own (or toiling in obscurity). Closing with the driving “And That’s All I Know”, Darlings is fully realized: it’s overly positive, beautiful, inspiring, timeless and hot - even if it was created by a whiny bearded manchild.

Published in Volume 68, Number 25 of The Uniter (March 27, 2014)