The basic elements behind the chanteuse-led electronic outfit have been meted out so clearly now that a band deploying little to no imaginative effort can still nail a recording deal if the production values are kept up (see Mandalay). Such is not the case with
Broadcast, who put together this EP on the heels of their well-received debut LP
The Noise Made By People.
Trish Keenan's retro vocals atop the meticulously constructed modern backdrop create a vibe that sounds as relevant to the era of its creation as it does to the soundtrack of To Sir With Love. "Illumination" is fantastically somber and elegant, a piece you could hope to record in a bedroom after the end of a long U.K./European tour (bassist
James Cargill's bedroom to be specific). More menacing is the
Aphex Twin-style strains of "Unchanging Window/Chord Simple." But for all tension created by their noir lounge cum digital pop formula,
Broadcast's mission seems to be making beauty and intoxicating atmospheres their most paramount of concerns. ~ JoE Silva, All Music Guide