Music

Broken Social Scene tell AUX about 'Falling Out' with long time producer David Newfeld

by Michael Joffe

Many attribute the Broken Social Scene sound in part to producer David Newfeld, who was behind the band’s releases ‘Broken Social Scene’, ‘You Forgot it in People’ and ‘Beehives’.  So it understandably turned some heads when it was announced earlier this year that BSS would be working with John McEntire of Tortoise on Forgiveness Rock Record, marking a departure from a long time producer and friend. In an exclusive interview with AUX TV Kevin Drew commented on the split with Newfeld.

“Our relationship with Newfeld fell apart… It fell apart and I think it was destined to fall apart from the beginning cuz that just seems to be the way it goes down in that world.”

Forgiveness Rock Record, for many marked the return of Broken Social Scene, despite the band spending a lot of the time touring and working together in some capacity after 2005’s self titled release. Critics have called Forgiveness a tighter, more mature Broken with lyrics that reference the band’s tumultuous history of love and ended friendships. On Sentimental X’s, Haines sings “A friend of a friend you used to call/ Or a friend of a friend you used/ You used to call.” If Forgiveness suggest a time of looking back and making good, there is presumably a lot of Newfeld in the album, not in production, but perhaps referenced – he was practically a member of the band having worked closely on their seminal albums.

Drew tells AUX,  “I was thinking about him this morning and I was just like I miss him, I haven’t spoken to him in a while and I gave him the record and we talked really quickly, he was like “yeah there’s five tunes on there I like”. Okay that’s good, I was like five out of fourteen, you know?”

Watch the full interview with Garageland here.