Founded in 2002 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, Broken Social Scene quickly established themselves as one of the most vital voices in independent music. Assembled by Drew, and made up of an assortment of musical friends, the band emerged fully-formed from their hometown of Toronto. They were an instantly engaging energetic entity: a tightly-knit community bursting at the seams with talent, personalities, incredible songs and many, many guitars. Their albums were cinematic, critically-acclaimed splashes of concept and melody, marrying a dizzying onslaught of sounds with finely-crafted choruses. The band’s ability to weave a plethora of voices and varied instrumentation into a brilliant postmodern aural onslaught launched them instantly onto the international stage. Live, their shows were notoriously epic, cathartic affairs, sometimes lasting over three hours. As a group, or on their own, Broken Social Scene’s members released some of the 00’s most notable independent albums, cementing their status as one of Canada’s most important musical exports.