Broadcast: The Noise Made By People Vinyl LP

Debut full-length from Birmingham, England’s Broadcast. The Noise Made By People came after the band signed to Warp Records and spent nearly three years in the studio. It was time well spent, as they built on the sounds and textures they explored in their earlier singles (archived by Warp on the excellent Work And Non Work). Reared on a heavy dose of vintage British psychedelia, Broadcast drew early (and somwhat lazy) comparisons to their mentors Stereolab. The slick pop songwriting and expert production on “Unchanging Window” and “Papercuts” feels vaguely familiar yet hard to pinpoint; in retrospect, more similar to the nostalgic aura conjured by labelmates Boards Of Canada. More experimental tracks like "Minus One" and "The Tower of Our Tuning" reveal influence from The BBC Radiophonic Workshop and similar sound effects units. Considered at the time to be a left-field choice by Warp’s A&R staff, as the indie powerhouse had dealt exclusively with artists working in the fields of techno and dance music, Broadcast’s signing to Warp makes much more sense in hindsight, and it’s hard to imagine them having such a fruitful run on any other label. The Noise Made By People indeed rocks, but there are hardly any noticeable guitars in the mix at any time throughout the course of the record. Their inventive approach to a five-piece band setup and non-purist attitude predates the ubiquity of electronics in indie rock that would follow in their wake. While James Cargill has been working intently on finishing Broadcast’s final album since the tragic and untimely passing of Trish Keenan in 2011, the uncanny brilliance of Broadcast continues to shine most brightly on The Noise Made By People. Recommended.

• official reissue of Broadcast's debut album
• gatefold sleeve
• originally released in 2000
• includes digital download 
• music label: Warp 2000 / 2015

reviewed by edward james almost 05/2017