Broadcast

Graduating at the top of their class from the internationally acclaimed Stereolab Musical College (with a special degree in The United States Of America), Broadcast have always been highly praised for their knack to reinvent the psychedelic pop sound of their influences. The first thing that will hit the listener when listening to this band is just how off-kilter it often sounds. Oh it sure is groovy, pleasant and happy-sounding at first, but upon closer inspection, a very dark and schizophrenic vibe surfaces and turns that black cloud above your head into a colorful, if ominous, mist. Noises often come at you from all sides, some are soft, some are harsh but all of them are extremely strange, yet the end results are often catchy enough for you to start singing along with them. The perfect soundtrack to those long summer days when it's constantly raining yet sunny at the same time, with rainbows abound.

I remember giving these guys a try when Work And Non Work was released and liking it a lot. I actually bought the CD, but never went further with them... I guess I preferred investing my relatively hard earned minimum wage into truly IDM music at the time... I was just discovering the music of Aphex Twin and Boards Of Canada and although Broadcast were already releasing material on Warp Records, it just didn't fit in with the whole electronica scene I wanted to explore. Still, I never disliked them and always kept my one and only CD close-by in case I wanted to listen to something different. I wasn't expecting to buy more albums by the band, but seeing as I got this intense "need" to eventually find the whole Warp Records back catalogue (something I started early on in 2008), I started getting them after finding the limited edition of Haha Sounds for quite cheap in a used record bin. Now I won't rest until I find the rest.

Work And Non Work Label: Drag City Release: 1997 Format: CD Cat. no: DC130CD
Song list:
Accidentals (3:28) The Book Lovers (4:50) Message From Home (5:00) Phantom (3:32) We've Got Time (4:14) Living Room (3:08) According To Plan (3:08) The World Backwards (4:00) Lights Out (4:33)

Haha Sound Label: Warp Records Release: 2003 Format: CD Cat. no: WARPCD106X
Song list:
Colour Me In (2:51) Pendulum (4:21) Before We Begin (3:22) Valerie (4:05) Man Is Not A Bird (4:52) Minim (3:01) Lunch Hour Pops (3:37) Black Umbrellas (1:09) Ominous Cloud (3:46) Distorsion (2:03) Oh How I Miss You (1:17) The Little Bell (2:48) Winter Now (3:48) Hawk (3:43)