Broadcast and the Focus Group | Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:13:23 +0000

Broadcast and the Focus Group

Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

From some eerie laundromat/wind tunnel of orange-tinted 1960’s production

values, this indefinable electro-pop album hails forth with a series of

songs and sound fragments that is deeply listenable, highly adventurous,

and ecstatically unpredictable.

Witch Cults is Birmingham, UK pop group Broadcast’s collaboration with

electronic artist the Focus Group. Whatever sonic raw material here has

been mutated into something utterly other, yet non-artificial. This is

electronic music with a focus on acoustics, and the squalls and echo

chambers, organs and vocal harmonies all come through with a rich, analog

aesthetic.

I’ve been giving this repeated listenings along with another album I bought

recently, the Rolling Stones’ most psychedelic outing Their Satanic

Majesties Request. Witch Cults seems to be in some way a distant answer to

that album, an inheritor of distinctly British weirdness that along the way

picks up new soundmaking habits but remains moored in a cryptic, pagan

fantasy.

A few tracks seem to be redigesting the shuffling turntable-crunchy beats

and flute loops of Portishead, but for the most part this album scorns

trip-hop tropes in favor of bold explorations in sound, gorgeous

atmospheres that dream up giant empty buildings and solitary nights.

From some eerie laundromat/wind tunnel of orange-tinted 1960’s production aesthetics, this indefinable album lands somewhere between electronic and rock. A series of songs and sound fragments that is deeply listenable, highly adventurous, and ecstatically unpredictable.

Witch Cults is Birmingham, UK pop group Broadcast’s collaboration with electronic artist The Focus Group. Whatever sonic raw material here has been mutated into something utterly other, yet non-artificial. This is electronic music with a focus on acoustics, and the feedback squalls and echo chambers, organs and vocal harmonies come through as a rich blend of analog and digital.

I’ve been giving this repeated listenings along with another album I bought recently, the Rolling Stones’ most psychedelic outing Their Satanic Majesties Request. While very different, Witch Cults seems to be in some way a distant answer to that album, an inheritor of British psychedelia, cryptic pagan fantasy under a cool modern surface.

A few tracks seem to be redigesting the shuffling turntable-crunchy beats and flute loops of Portishead, but for the most part this album scorns trip-hop tropes in favor of bold explorations in sound: amazing atmospheres ranging from ethereal folk to sci-fi soundtrack.

On Warp.

-Justin Allen

Ashcan Magazine » uk

Broadcast and the Focus Group | Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age