For their first album as a duo (the band consists solely of singer Trish Keenan and multi-instrumentalist James Cargill on TENDER BUTTONS), Broadcast took two years to shake up the densely layered electronic latticeworks of their previous efforts and return with a more straightforward--but still intoxicating--approach. Combining distorted minimalist hooks with Keenan's more floral singing style--the duo balance poppier gems such as "Black Cat" and "Goodbye Girls" with darker, more mournful material like "Minus 3" and "Corporeal." The familiar Francoise Hardy and Stereolab influences remain, but, at times, sonic similarities to Suicide and Portishead emerge. TENDER BUTTONS departs from the established swirl of classic Broadcast, but there are still enough mutated mellotrons, enveloping optigons, and electro trickery to satisfy the most ardent fans.
Live RecordingUncut (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[L]ucid notes of pre-rock modernism swirled in a scree of long-wave nosie while antique technology wheezes and winds down." The Wire (pp.51-52) - "Broadcast's compositions continue to meld an idiosyncratic approach to songwriting with a radiant pop aura." The Wire (p.41) - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year." CMJ (No. 930) - "...[A] gauzy haze of analog fuzz and icy atmospheres..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]hey create by turns grainy and purring backdrops across which Keenan's dulcet vocals skip decorously."
(*) MP3 for this song is from a different CD. Listen to the sound sample to be sure this is the version you're looking for.
Tender Buttons Music Review
Customer Tender Buttons Reviews
Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)
noisey electro Tender Buttons is a very good album. Full of stripped down static electronic music, made by what sounds like vintage analog synthesizers. Black Cat, Michael A Grammar, and Goodbye Girls are the standout songs on the album for me. They're three of the most irresistable songs I've heard in a long time.
If you like Stereolab and Ladytron then you'll probably like Broadcast as well. This album is definately worth checking out. Submitted by Lt. 030 (New Jersey, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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