Search - Broadcast :: Extended Play Two

Extended playtime!

Steve Luddington | Manchester, England. | 02/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An overlooked gem, this one. Though championed by the brighter lights of the British electronica scene (i.e. Squarepusher, Stereolab and pretty much anyone who works at Warp Records) Broadcast are still relatively obscure. Damn shame, indeed. Their sound, a blend of Nancy Sinatra-esque easy listening, free jazz, Krautrock, dizzying My Bloody Valentine-style guitars and abstract electronica with a subtle hint of hip-hop, is deliriously beautiful. All natural sugars, no artificial sweeteners.The lead track Illumination is one of the best songs I've heard so far this century. It just boggles the mind. The music sweeps like a hyper-modern-retro James Bond love theme, while the singer coos gently in the midsts of what sounds like a psychedelic snowstorm. "Your seconds will fit mine" she softly whispers.Pick of the "b-sides" has to be Drums on Fire, an extended minimalist groove, like the kind of thing Steroelab and Neu! used to but with lashings of 60s exploitation hipster cool. Best listened to after a night of frantic dancing and severe intoxication, in a warm room. Now buy it 'cos I said so."

AHHH! A band I can grow with

William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 12/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Broadcast are a big band on WFMU, my local free-form station. I got Noise Made By People after hearing "Unchanging Window" on FMU, loved it, wanted to investigate further, and thus got Extended Play Two.This EP confirms everything I loved about this band, and has exposed me to sides of them I have never noticed before. Several points arise:1-Broadcast are SERIOUS about the idea of making a CD that is coharent from end to end. When you play either of the albums, they set a mood and stick to it, without a wasted nanosecond. You're not going to enjoy this CD riding in your car or slapped into a changer at a party. Broadcasts makes CDs that you have to sit and listen to: the way albums used to be made and SHOULD be made.2-Noise Made By People was a product of the studio, but Extended Play Two shows this band can really play live, without the artiface of electronic processing. Even their off-the-cuff studio jams-using just keybords, bass and drums- are really enriching.3-They really have done their homework: The obvious comparison is Portished, but I hear a lot of United States of America in this music, and those little keyboard scribbles sound like those early Zappa/Mother's experiments on Verve.Broadcast have all the makings of a great band who can expand their frame of referance with each album. Hopefully, there's more to come."

Really excellent

losingsoul | south carolina | 11/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the few, one of the only groups to show any love for the late great 60's psych band The United States of America, Broadcast, in their own weird way, has made this ep a sort of tribute to them. At least that's what I'm thinking when I hear the 1968 USoA album and 'Extended Play Two' back to back. The song 'A Man For Atlantis' uses certain elements found on USoA's song cycle 'The American Way of Love'. And the lovely, sublime 'Poem of Dead Song' is most definitely a nod to USoA's 'Love Song For The Dead Che'. And it makes Broadcast stand apart from other bands it's usually compared to like Stereolab, Fugu and Lali Puna. This ep is a wonderful piece of work, precisely the right length and bursting with creative energy. Their next album is going to totally freak you out, I guarantee you that."