BROADCAST Vinyl & CDs

Review: After what seems like an eternity, Warp has finally decided to give Broadcast's Microtonics series a full release. Initially made available only to fans at gigs, the two-volume series saw the band experimenting not with their krautrock-influenced brand of trippy electronic pop, but rather the kind of music concrete and synthesizer experiments that were once the preserve of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Peter Zinovieff and the various modular synthesis fetishists that came in their wake. For that reason, it's not Broadcast at their most accessible, but if you're into vintage synth sounds and admirable experimental electronica, Microtonics makes for hugely enjoyable listening.

Review: For many years, Mother is the Milky Way has been one of the most sought-after artifacts in Broadcast's discography. Originally released in limited quantities during their final tour in 2009, it has finally been given a proper release as part of a package of reissues by the band's label, Warp. Musically, it's amongst their most trippy and psychedelic releases - an experimental mini-album that sees the late Trish Keenan add icy, ethereal vocals to frequently creepy and otherworldly sound collages that make use of field recordings, children's voices and decidedly hallucinogenic electronics. It's perhaps not their most comforting of releases, but it remains one of their most interesting and alluring.