| · Busting out from the shadows of Stereolab.
Following their earliest seven-inch mutterings on Stereolab’s Duophonic label, Birmingham’s Broadcast have long found themselves in the unfortunate position as the elder group’s symbolic younger sibling. With Haha Sound, however, Broadcast have graduated from the school of Stereolab, moved into a swank new pad all of their own across town, and occasionally even let the machine pick up when their old bosses call in.
The most impressive aspect of Haha Sound is just how much of it there is – every moment sounds like thousands of instruments playing dozens of melodies, all battling for centre stage. There are few others who can harness such a mass of sound. Opener "Colour Me In" finds sweet-voiced vocalist Trish Keenan trapped in a grandfather clock and wind-chime factory, while the percussive bursts of "Man Is Not A Bird" replicate a metal desk full of old cutlery spinning down a steel staircase. At times, Broadcast even manages to make Stereolab’s latest output sound a little soft.
While it’s still a little bit early to proclaim that the students have become the teachers, at least Haha Sound lets Broadcast stand alongside their earlier patron saints as equals. Those little scamps – all grown up and out on their own already. Shucks!
|
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.