Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Indie rock supergroup Broken Social Scene and electronic hip hop/pop artist RJD2 will perform in LPAC this Saturday, September 6th, as this semester’s Large-Scale Event. According to LSE Coordinator Reid Wilkening, these are “very talented musicians” who “both have very strong followings at Swarthmore.”
Although events are scheduled earlier in the semester than is typical for Large-Scale Events, Wilkening said it was the best date when LPAC and the musicians were both available. Despite some initial misgivings about the early date, the committee is hoping people will be less bogged down in work and more willing to spend their time at the concert on Saturday.
Another reason that Wilkening hopes this LSE will be particularly successful is the relative dissimilarity of the two bands.
Broken Social Scene playing “7/4 Shoreline” at Lollapalooza this summer.
Broken Social Scene is a conglomeration of nineteen mostly Toronto-based musicians, all of whom play in other groups. (Only eight will be here this weekend, though that is typical for their tours: the number includes both founders and most of the other well-known members.) Wilkening called them an “extremely talented indie rock group.”
The video for what is probably RJD2’s best-known song, “The Horror.”
RJD2 is a very different kind of musician, a DJ who in the early part of the 2000’s made sample-based significantly-instrumental hip hop but has since moved more towards electronic pop. (His most recent album included RJD2 singing and playing instruments for most of the album.) Though he has certainly stayed recognizable through the change, it was a very dramatic shift for his music: if he plays songs from both “eras,” it should make for an interesting show.
“Work It Out,” a song from RJD2’s 2007 album “The Third Hand.”
Last year, because of some last-minute cancellations and other issues, the LSE committee was forced to spend more for last fall’s event than the budget could support. This year, that hasn’t happened: Wilkening emphasized that they were able to budget very effectively and that there will be a spring LSE, though he said it was far too early for him to be able to comment on it.
Meanwhile, RJD2 and Broken Social Scene will play this Saturday at 8:00 (doors open at 7:30). Ticketing will begin at 6:30 in the Parrish main hallway — more details have been emailed to the student body.
Ghostwriter is definitely RJD2’s best known song