at a glance...

Hometown: Birmingham, England
Year Formed: mid '90s

Members:
Trish Keenan -vocals
James Cargill -bass
Keith York -drums
Roj Stevens -keyboards
Tim Felton -guitar
Steve Perkins -drums

Bands in the Family:
Pram, Plone, Stereolab

Notes:
Broadcast take aged and neglected ways of writing songs - torch ballads, tense noir jazz, the grand gestures of waltz time - and place them in a contemporary context. They released their first 7", Accidentals, on the now defunct Wurlitzer Jukebox label early in 1996. This was followed by two more singles, Living Room and The Book Lovers, on Stereolab's Duophonic label. These were re-released on Warp as the mini-album Work And Non Work. In 1997, the band started recording The Noise Made By People, their debut album proper. They set up shop at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, and thanks partially to the prodding of producers such as Squarepusher, succeeded in cranking it out. Meanwhile, the Echo's Answer 7" was released in late 1999.

Broadcast create their own hypnotic musical universe - that's for sure. It's a solar system not too distant from that of Stereolab (take the great "Papercuts," for example), but it has more of a sterile and eerie quality, and less of the profound politico-philosophical lyrics.

Imagine you're a character in the surreal film "Last Year at Marienbad" or the early "Avengers" TV series. The Noise Made By People harkens back to the European pop of the '50s and '60s. There's a ghost of Phil Spector floating around, and at one point the album's sound reminds me of the oldie, "96 Tears." Trish Keenan's voice lies somewhere in between that of Doris Day and Harriet Wheeler from The Sundays. Her detached and unemotional delivery complements the ominous, droning, and stark feel of the orchestrated arrangements. What baffles me is that such an alienated and cold soundscape can grow on you so much after repeated listens - to the point of being infectious.

Broadcast skillfully weave layer upon layer of sound, slipping in subversive levels of hushed noise beneath the delicate lullabies. Somehow it sounds like something out of Iceland. Calling all Moog fans! A very consistent record which matches your miniskirt. I'm glad the noise made by people has found its way to my ears.

If you like Broadcast, check out:

Stereolab Cobra And Phases...
The Sundays Static & Silence
Portishead Portishead
Kyed The World Inside Her

-- Lars Rosenblum-Sorgenfrei

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