“Hug of Thunder” is the first Broken Social Scene record since 2010’s “Forgiveness Rock Record,” and like all of its predecessors, it finds leaders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning joined by a wide variety of guests. There’s a ghost of a good record here, but as is, this album is woefully half-baked. My hope is that “Something to Tell You” is just a momentary stumble. Here’s hoping that the Haim sisters bring back the bit of edge and the sense of sonic variety on album number three. It has its worthy moments but lacks the fun spark that gave the first album a bit of a jump. Some fans of their first record will still probably connect with this one. While the cheesiness of “Days Are Gone” seemed like a winking, lovingly-executed exercise, here they’ve crossed the line into banality. “Nothing’s Wrong” sounds like it was influenced by the pop side of Shania Twain, while “Little of Your Love” sounds like a standard attempt at a faceless pop single. You will probably find yourself missing the oddball experimentation heard on portions of “Days Are Gone.” Nothing here for instance matches the coolness of say, “My Song 5.” Instead the band is seemingly left running in place. “Ready for You” and “You Never Knew” both aim to be the soundtrack for breezy summer days, but overall within the context of the rest of the album, they drive home the notion that this record is stuck in a “Lite Radio” holding pattern. There’s a relaxed sense to this record, as well. The same could be said for “Walking Away.” This is an album heavy of mood but short on ideas. Both “Want You Back” and “Right Now” rank among the best of the bunch but they are still quite guilty of this. Lyrically these songs too often are found to just repeat their titles over and over again.

This is a very monochromatic offering which maintains a hint of the band’s essence but often becomes repetitive and in many places, uninspired and a bit boring. The Haim sisters return and follow up their quite enjoyable first record, “Days Are Gone” with “Something to Tell You.” Unfortunately, this record is a pale, streamlined shadow of its predecessor and a textbook example of a “sophomore slump.” Whereas “Days Are Gone” was a bright, uplifting, bouncy record, “Something to Tell You” finds Haim stuck in the world of bland balladry. — - This week the Haim sisters release their second full-length, Canadian collective Broken Social Scene return, electro-tinged indie act Toro y Moi drops a new album and a compilation showcases the pre-Big Star bands of the late Chris Bell.

Best broken social scene songs