As Broken Social Scene gears up for the release of its yet-to-be-titled fourth studio album, the aforementioned characteristics will once again be on display. For one, the long overdue followup to 2005′s Broken Social Scene features many of the band’s original members. The album was written and arranged by BSS’ current core six-piece, including singer/guitarist Kevin Drew, singer/bassist Brendan Canning, drummer Justin Peroff, guitarist Charles Spearin, singer/guitarist Andrew Whiteman, and (newcomer) gutiarist Sam Goldberg. What’s more, BSS’ alum Leslie Feist, Stars’ Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, Jason Collett, Do Make Say Think’s Ohad Benchetrit, John Crossingham, Marty Kinack, Julie Penner, Leon Kingstone, and Lisa Lobsinger return to lend their musical talents as well.

Still not done… Also appearing on the record are several other indie heavy-hitters making their BSS debut, including Tortoise and The Sea and Cake’s John McEntire, who produced the album, The Sea and Cake’s Sam Prekop, Tortoise’s Doug McCombs, Pavement’s Spiral Stairs!, former Death From Above 1979 singer/drummer Sebastien Grainger, Poi Dog Pondering’s Susan Voelz, Helen Money’s Alison Chesley, and The Weakerthans’ Jason Tait. WOW!

Of course, gathering this mind-numbing collection of artists wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing in the world to do, as Kevin Drew explained in a recent interview with Pitchfork:

“There was a point where it looked like it was going to be a core-member record and we weren’t going to get those people because they were so busy; Stars were making a record, Metric was on the road. We thought, “It’s OK, we can do this without them. We can move on. It’s not like that anymore.” But when we brought Johnny [McEntire] to Toronto and set up it was immediately like old times. So, right at the end, everybody made it on,” Drew said. Where can we send McEntire thank you cards?

Drew went on to note that the end result is particularly focused on “the times” — ” We had lots of conversations about how we could sing about our views and opinions without trying to make a poor man’s R.E.M. song” — and will once again convey quite a bit of emotion. “We’ve always been a band that sings about exactly what’s inside of us and exactly what’s happening outside as well. Like, if we’re screaming, let’s have something to scream about,” he added.

BSS will support the release by partaking in another one of those characteristics — a live concert. This May, the band will embark on dates in both the U.S. an Europe, particularly highlighted by the band’s personally curated Toronto Island Concert on June 19th. Pavement and Band of Horses are also playing. On stage collaboration, please?

This year is seriously kicking ass.

Broken Social Scene 2010 Tour Dates:
05/01 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
05/07 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
05/13 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
05/14 – Minehead, UK @ All Tomorrow’s Parties
05/17 – London, UK @ Heaven
05/18 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
05/19 – Cologne, DE @ Burgerhaus Stollwerck
05/21 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
06/19 – Toronto, ON @ Toronto Island Concert

And though you’ve probably heard it a million times by now, if you are interested in donating to the Haiti relief efforts, please click on the appropriate links below.

Also, if you know of event not listed, please let us (and everyone else) know in the comment section!

Haiti Benefit Concert:

What: All donations will go to Partners in Health.

Who: Amy Millan, Plants & Animals, Jeremy Gara and Tim Kingsbury (of the Arcade Fire), Martin Cesar (of Think About Life), Shapes & Sizes, Jahnice, Tony Ezzy, Doody Le Tigre, & Vox Sambou

When: Sunday, January 17th at 8:00pm

Where: Club Lambi in Montreal, QC

How: $10 – $20 via ticketfly.com

Houston For Haiti:

What: All proceeds will go directly to the Haiti relief fund through CARE.

Who: Bun B, Slim Thug, Trae The Truth, ESG, Lil O, Candi Redd, Just Brittany, Corey Mo, & The Party Boyz

When: Monday, January 18th at 4:00pm

Where: Warehouse Live in Houston, TX

How: $20 via warehouselive.com

DMV Helps Haiti Benefit Concert:

What: All ticket sales will be donated to  Wyclef Jean’s YELE and Partners in Health Organization.

Who: Wale, D.C. Don Juan, Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, XO, Kingpen Slim, K-Beta, & Que (formerly of Day26)

When: Monday, January 18th at 6:00pm

Where: 9:30 Club in Washington, DC

How: $20 – $100 via ticketfly.com

Benefit for Haiti:

What: 100% of door fees, and 10 % of alcohol sales will go to Doctors Without Borders.

Who: Surfer Blood, John Ralston, Sweet Bronco, & Kill Now?!

When: Monday, January 18th at 8:00pm

Where: Propaganda in Lake Worth, FL

How: $10

Hope for for Haiti:

What: Proceeds from the concert will go to Real Help for Haiti.

Who: Aaron Ivey, Matt McCloskey, Miranda Dodson, Kevin McKinney, & Courrier

When: Monday, January 18th at 7:00pm

Where: The Parish in Austin, TX

How: $10

Emergency Benefit Concert for Haiti:

What: 100% of donations will be distributed to Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders, and Wyclef Jean’s YELE.

Who: Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, The Swell Season, John Wesley Harding, Lewis Black, Willie Nile, Vernon Reid & Corey Glover (of Living Colour), Rosanne Cash, & more TBA

When: Four nights (January 20, 21, 24, & 25)

Where: City Winery in New York, NY

How: Prices varies depending on day. Find more info via warehouselive.com.

Hope for Haiti:

What: Two-hour television fundraiser; proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations currently operating in Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, and Wyclef Jean’s YELE.

Who: Anderson Cooper, Wyclef Jean, George Clooney, and more TBA

When: Friday, January 22nd at 8:00pm

Where: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT

How: Watch and donate

A Benefit for the Vicitms of the Earthquake in Haiti:

What: 100% of the proceeds will be split between Save The Children and Partners In Health.

Who: Jimmy Fallon, Cold War Kids, Ted Leo, The Wrens, Sondre Lerche, Eugene Mirman, AC Newman (of the New Pornographers), Rhett Miller (of the Old 97s), Nicole Atkins, Here We Go Magic, and more TBA

When: Wednesday, January 27th at 6:00pm

Where: The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY

How: $50 via ticketweb.com

Millan sticks to what she knows here. Ten of the album’s 11 songs are quiet, reflective, and relaxed. She does break out of her shell, as is the case on her cover of Jenny Whiteley’s “Day to Day”, where her voice remains the same, leaving the country sounds to be stripped away and replaced by a simple and steady beat. It’s a good track, but it’s an anomaly. The rest of the album is all twang, and while all of the songs are supremely pretty, they don’t do much to differentiate themselves from one another. Her voice is the obvious highlight here, though she’s backed by a team of more than competent musicians, including Broken Social Scene member Evan Cranley. The subdued banjos and strings create a great outlet for Millan’s unique voice.

Four of the album’s 11 songs are covers. Most of them are somewhat obscure song choices (she covers Weeping Tile, Jenny Whiteley, and Richard Hawley), but she does cover Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”. She fleshes out the original by expanding it from a simple acoustic guitar song into a full country song, complete with banjos and violins. While this cover might get her the most attention by people who would otherwise not know who she was, her original songs overshadow the covers. Her lyrics remain personal and close to her heart, but they’ve grown more mature since her days with Stars. Her ability to play off other vocalists was a strong point in her other bands that is missing here, but for those who enjoy her voice in particular, this album is well worth a listen.

Overall, Masters of the Burial is warm and pretty, and benefits from some very fine production, but its lack of risks keeps it from being great. None of the songs stray too far from the same formula. It’s a nice listen, but it likely won’t win over any new fans. However, fans of Millan from her other bands, or her first solo album, just looking for more of her voice should be perfectly content here.

While it might not be on the level of Weezer’s Snuggie, Millan has announced plans for a five-week fall tour because, as the completely objective press announcement declares, “the songs from Masters Of The Burial… are certain to warm the room and have the audience swooning.” So, turn off your heaters and pick up tickets for any one of her upcoming engagements. The fun kicks off on October 1st Peterborough, Ontario and will run all the way until November 8th in Washington, D.C.

Masters of the Burial hits record stores everywhere on September 8th via Arts & Crafts Records.

Amy Millan 2009 Tour Dates:
07/25 – Toronto, ON @ Harbourfront Centre ^
08/21 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Folk Festival
09/30 – Montreal, PQ @ Pop Montreal *
10/01 – Peterborough, ON @ Montreal House *
10/03 – Kingston, ON @ Grad Club *
10/14 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club *
10/15 – Detroit, MI @ Pike Room *
10/16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
10/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club *
10/18 – Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Center *
10/19 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s *
10/20 – Calgary, AB @ The Marquee *
10/21 – Edmonton, AB @ Myer Horowitz Theatre *
10/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
10/25 – Seattle, WA @ Triple Door *
10/26 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
10/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord *
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland *
11/04 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
11/05 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
11/06 – Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House
11/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
11/08 – Washington, DC @ DC9

^ = w/ Gentleman Reg
* = w/ Bahamas

On September 8th, Amy Millan will unveil the followup to 2006′s acclaimed Honey From The Tombs with the 11-track Masters Of The Burial via Arts & Crafts Records. Produced by longtime BSS collaborator Martin Davis Kinack and featuring the likes of Christine Bougie, Dan Whiteley, Mark Roy and Dean Stone, the effort promises to show a another side of the Toronto native’s immense talents. “A work of true love and devotion immediately apparent in the warmth of Millan’s angelic vocals and the depth of each song as they unfold,” the press release notes.

Millan will support the release with a yet-to-be-announced tour this fall. In the meantime, she does have one upcoming gig – a free performance on July 25th at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre with labelmate Gentleman Reg.

Masters Of The Burial Tracklist:
01. Bruised Ghosts
02. Low Sail
03. Old Perfume
04. Towers
05. Day To Day
06. Bury This
07. Finish Line
08. Run For Me
09. I Will Follow You Into Dark
10. Lost Compass
11. Bound