Haha Sound

by

Broadcast

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What is Broadcast? Broadcast is dreamy, swirly indie-pop-rock that manages to be experimental and familiar all at once, with hints of jazz, trip-hop, and general melodic confusion. Does the British band's third release, "Haha Sound," pull itself together into a good album? In a word, yes.

A gently dischordant opener kicks off the entrancing, quirky "Colour Me In." Following it up is the slightly staticky rockers like "Pendulum" and the vaguely spooky "Man is Not A Bird," sparkly pop like "Lunch Hour Pops" and "Ominous Cloud," and offbeat ballads like "Before We Begin" and the ethereal "Valerie." Not to mention stately soundscapes like the shimmering "Minim" and experimental spazzing in "Distorsion."

You don't really expect rock to be pretty, or pop to explore new musical ground. But Broadcast manages both at the same time. They effortlessly switch from mellow to childlike to jaded. And their music is a neo-60s tangle that sorts itself out into simple, jangly melodies.

Trish Keenan's voice is well suited to the dreamy music; she has that sort of high, sweet voice that is often associated with schoolgirls. But in some songs like "Little Bell," her voice dips down and becomes much throatier. Okay, you can't really understand what she's saying, but if you dig down to the lyrics, you'll get some evocative, wintry songs with lots of references to sleep, snow, ice and cold. At times the lyrics can border on sappy ("You are the only one/To keep me sane when all is wrong") but it never quite crosses that border.

Psychedelic guitar riffs are the core of Broadcast's sound in this CD. But not the only part of the sound: There's quite a bit of distortion and fuzziness in some of the rock songs, augmented by some subtle work on the drums -- particularly the eerie, drippy solo at the end of "Man Is Not A Bird." Adding to the atmosphere are the cymbals, and adding a more delicate note is the triangle.

The retro-60s sound of Broadcast is polished further in "Haha Sound," a pretty collection of musically adventurous pop-rock. Highly recommended.