First available during Broadcast's tours in 2003 and 2005, Microtronics, Vols. 1-2 collects the witty electronic miniatures that the band initially released on mini compact discs befitting the pieces' short lengths. On the surface, these snippets seem like outliers in Broadcast's discography -- not least because Trish Keenan's vocals barely appear on them -- but their connections to the rest of the group's body of work soon become apparent. Microtronics, Vol. 1 appeared when Broadcast still had a full band lineup, and the ...
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First available during Broadcast's tours in 2003 and 2005, Microtronics, Vols. 1-2 collects the witty electronic miniatures that the band initially released on mini compact discs befitting the pieces' short lengths. On the surface, these snippets seem like outliers in Broadcast's discography -- not least because Trish Keenan's vocals barely appear on them -- but their connections to the rest of the group's body of work soon become apparent. Microtronics, Vol. 1 appeared when Broadcast still had a full band lineup, and the jazz-influenced backbone of their sound on The Noise Made by People and to a lesser extent Haha Sound makes itself known on the rolling rhythms of "Microtronics 01" and "Microtronics 05." Ironically, "Microtronics 03," which pairs breakbeats that sound like typing with dreamy atmospheres, and "Microtronics 21," which seems like it was arranged for a punch-card machine, sound more like typical Warp releases of the time than Broadcast's usual electronic psych-pop. These short, anonymously titled pieces evoke the band's love of library music in different ways than they usually did, but given their size, each track packs a lot of personality, whether it's the spooky jazz of "Microtronics 07," the underwater calypso of "Microtronics 14," the BBC Radiophonic Workshop homage of "Microtronics 19," or the gentle drones and chromatic percussion of "Microtronics 20," which calls to mind Raymond Scott's Soothing Sounds for Baby. Elsewhere, Microtronics, Vols. 1-2 reflects the direction Broadcast's music took on Tender Buttons, the album they made between the creation of these vignettes. The dry drum machines and effervescent synths on "Microtronics 17," "Microtronics 04," and "Microtronics 10" all feel like precursors and extensions of the inspired minimalism Keenan and James Cargill pursued on their third full-length. Some pieces are even more long sighted, evoking the collages the duo made with Julian House on Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate the Witch Cults of the Radio Age, as on "Microtronics 13"'s juxtaposition of a distant, ghostly melody with a shuffling beat and mammoth bass. Throughout the collection, Broadcast sound as vivid as they do on their full-fledged albums; while it may be their most abstract music, it's frequently captivating. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
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