BROADCAST
America’s Boy
7WAP193
7”
Warp Records 2005

SEELAND
Wander / Pherox
SDS45-36
7”
Duophonic 2005

There have been, since the late eighties / early nineties, strong connections between fellow Birmingham musicians from Plone, Broadcast and Pram, with some members found on all three projects at one time or another. It is therefore not a surprise to find former Plone Billy Johnson teaming up with Tim Felton, who left Broadcast following the band’s last album. To complete the picture, Seeland’s first seven-inch single is released on Stereolab’s Duophonic, almost at the same time as Broadcast return, also with a seven inch single, on Warp.

With Felton gone, Broadcast are down to Trish Keenan and James Cargill. If, in the past, the band have undeniably followed the music blue-print drawn out by bands such as The United States Of America and the Silver Apple, tinted of BBC Radiophonic Workshop experimentation, this teaser for their third album proper shows a switch to more electro structures. Gone are the extremely detailed drumming constructions and the complex sonic arrangements, replaced by a linear drum machine, arid electronic buzz and processed guitars. Remain Keenan’s deadpan voice and those clever pop-tinted melodies.
America’s Boy is apparently the result of Keenan’s frustration at cryptic crossword she was doing in some tabloid paper. Perhaps not the most rock’n’roll starting point, but the result is a reflection on American imperialism and a celebration of the American soldier. Perhaps one of Broadcast’s catchiest songs, it is set off-course by a resolutely minimal musical structure and ends up as subversive and abrasive as any Broadcast song.

The B-side and title track from the album is a more subdued affair, with Keenan’s voice found set somewhat in the background, behind layers of ice-cold synthetic strips and razor-sharp guitars. With its faux-air of Mogadon-ed T-Rex, Tender Buttons reveals only little about what is to be expected of Broadcast’s new album.

Taking its name from a song from Neu! 75, Seeland’s first offering is, in comparison, a far sweeter affair, yet similar elements and forms are found on the two compositions presented here. Wander finds Johnson and Felton somewhere between early Human League and Depeche Mode circa Dreaming Of Me. With its cloudy vocals, quirky melody and laidback summery feel, this song is likely to appeal to fans of Plone.

The short and sweet Pherox is a wonderful little gem that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in an old episode of Doctor Who. The influence of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop is here too very clear, yet this track also shows strong musical direction. Seeland are currently busy working on their first album, and this double A-side first offering comes as a truly enticing teaser.

THE BLACK DOG
Trojan Horus EP
DUSTSND001
12”
Dust Science Recording 2005

Barely a few months after the welcome return of the legendary Black Dog, once again a trio after Ken Downie was joined by brothers Martin and Richard Dust, with the Bite Thee Back EP, here comes a teaser for the long-awaited new album, Silenced, due out in September. While the original version of Trojan Horus is announced as one of the standout track of the album, this two-part version shows the Dog in rather dark and oppressive mood. The cinematic aspect of the track is set against its rampant inertia and becomes a magma-like structure, which only evolves and morphs slowly. Distorted voices cross the spectrum at irregular interval, adding to the dense organic feel of the composition. This goes way beyond what Bite Thee Back revealed of The Black Dog 2005 version.

Trojan Horus is backed with the sumptuous D.O.G. Style and Carl Taylor’s take on Evoke, the original being found on the Bite Thee Back EP. D.O.G. Style begins very much where Trojan Horus lefts off, with sombre waves rising over shattered beats, yet, when a melody takes shape and develop, the mood lightens up slightly, letting warm emotions flowing all over.

Carl Taylor drags The Black Dog back onto the dance floor by injecting some sharp Detroit techno and dry Berlin funky groove into the concluding track. While the original was a beautiful atmosphere composition, this is radically more upbeat and funky. While the relentless beat ensures the machine is kept running, Taylor progressively inserts some additional layers and works towards a truly impressive build up, concluding this excellent new Black Dog EP with brio.

GIMMIK
News From The Past
TOY21
CDS
Toytronic 2005

Toytronic follow the recent re-release of Gimmik’s first EP for the label, Load Error, originally released back in 2000, and now made for the first time available on CD, with this collection of odds and sods. As the title of this EP suggests, News From The Past features previously unreleased tracks recorded by Martin Haidinger between 1994 and 2000.

The elegant musical forms that have characterised Gimmik’s releases until now are already present here. On each of the six tracks featured, Haidinger creates luscious backdrops of warm analogue sounds and develops delicate melodies on top, making the most of his various layers and highlighting each nuance, each tone in these sonic constructions.

Two of the tracks here were recorded live in Haidinger’s native Vienna. Share Some Grammar was recorded during a performance at the Academy Of Arts in 1995, and Radar Variation is lifted from a recording made a year earlier. These two tracks are actually the oldest recordings here, and help trace Martin Haidinger’s journey from these early explorations to his most recent outputs. While the Gimmik touch is already present on both pieces, with warm sonic landscapes swarming around wonderfully crafted melodies, both lack the sharper angles of later releases. By contrast, Typologic or the opening track, Floating Gear, offer a far more accurate picture of what Gimmik is capable to deliver.

News From The Past is certainly an interesting collection of early work, yet, it is perhaps destined more for fans of Haidinger’s diverse projects than as an ideal introduction to his work. It remains however a rather essential celebration of one of electronica’s most consistent and talented musicians.