PLAYLIST: Broken Social Scene’s extended universe

Hey friends, happy Friday once again!

This week in Subscribers Only, we're taking a look at one of the most influential coteries of indie rockers of the past 25 years, and a personal favorite: Broken Social Scene.

What started as a two-person, mostly instrumental recording project in Toronto quickly expanded into a (much) larger group effort, making space for friends and friends of friends (some since high school) to express themselves together in song. Jason Collett and Feist have both played significant roles in the group, and the band shares members with both dance-punk stalwarts Metric and baroque-poppers Stars, among others.

As such, their sound can be varied, maximalist and a bit hard to describe. I tend to think of it as a kind of textured collage, one where big-hearted earnestness and emotional vulnerability can stand side-by-side with fun indie rock abandon.

To help you explore this extended universe of Canadian friendship in song, we've put together a playlist that highlights both the main band and its members' other projects.