Broadcast Reviewed
Broadcast
Future Crayon
(Warp)
B-sides and rarities compilatiton from underrated, cinematic electronic quintet.
While the nearby Bristol scene was busy painting the darkest soundtracks ever, Broadcast set up shop in Birmingham and attempted to fuse classic girl group pop with increasingly textured psychedlia — most of which seemed destined for some Bizarro World “James Bond” sequel. Future Crayon, which spans nearly a decade of iconoclastic classicism, is probably a better document to judge Broadcast upon because it dusts the ceilings, nooks, and attics of their canon where a traditional “best of” would simply traverse the most accessible terrain. Not that there isn’t some easy listening here; anytime Trish Keenan sings it’s a lullaby. “Where Youth And Laughter Go” demands all the concentration of Pet Sounds, while “Poem Of A Dead Song” could give any Portishead track a run for its money. Far-reaching experiments like “Minus Two” and “Violent Playground” draw more from Throbbing Gristle and avant gardists than the lush pop with which they’re more frequently associated, but it’s just as vital, if not more, for it’s the deepest wells begetting the greatest rewards.
— Steve Forstneger
