I always felt Broadcast were somewhat under appreciated in their heyday, spending a little too much time in the Stereolab shadow, without some of their genuinely inspiring moments finding as large an audience as they could (and possibly should) have. So it’s nice to hear they will be reappearing in the 20th anniversary of Warp’s foundation, albeit with a collaborative mini-album ‘Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age’, as opposed to their own full-length (which incidentally is apparently due out next year).
The Focus Group is but one man, Julian House, who is the co-founder of the Ghost Box label, and an artwork designer. For those who don’t know Ghost Box, its a label that churns out sounds influenced by those 70s soundtracks, found sounds, library recordings, and musique concrete, with artwork courtesy of Mr House himself.
Check out the audio trailer below for an enticing sample of the psychedelic influenced collaboration, with more than a hint of Ghost Box audiophile finger prints on it, and celebrate in Broadcasts return by watching ‘Witch’s Cults’ above.
You’re probably already well aware of this leak (a whole week before its full release), but following on from some blog hype after Jay-Z had the sheer audacity to say Grizzly Bear are quite good, the build up to the new record starts proper. He has essentially been attempting to make a record as strong as The Blueprint since its release (and has certainly milked its title enough) but has he actually managed it this time? Have a listen – see what you think.
Hear the previews below.
Or you can stream the album in full from the MTV website by clicking here. Enjoy!
Battles’ Tyondai Jackson is due to drop his full length solo debut ‘Central Market’ on Warp records on the 14th of September and the boys from Warp have already labelled it a ‘masterpiece’ – their words not ours. Billed as Battles’ meets modern orchestration, and apparently inspired by Igor Stravinsky, Bernard Hermann, Brian Eno, John Adams and Swans, it has mostly been scored for a large ensemble and certainly sounds interesting. So here’s a preview, have a listen to ‘Platinum Rows’ taken from the album and decide whether this has got you excited at the prospect of a piece of genius, or has it left you a little flat whilst awaiting a record of Battles played by a somewhat unconventional orchestra?
‘Platinum Rows’ includes Vox, Synths, Piano, Guitars, Basses, Electronics, Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Bass’, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo, Trumpets, Horns, Xylophone, Glock & Harp, but the real question should be, is this the most prominent kazoo in popular music in recent memory? Discuss.
