antisocialites

We were sad to learn yesterday of the untimely passing of Trish Keenan, leader of the English experimental pop group Broadcast.

I first heard the band in 1997 when Drag City sent us a promo disc for their compilation of early singles, Work And Non/Work. Being in the midst of a massive Stereolab phase back then, I could easily relate to Broadcast’s minimalist, analog-colored 60s pop, but could discern their own unique point of view right away. Subsequent releases over the years such as Haha Sound and Tender Buttons pushed further and further away from the strict definitions of “pop” and more into blocky, analog, kraut-flavored abstract pop that got even more beguiling as their sound evolved. Their last mini-album, a 2009 collaboration with The Focus Group, Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, took a hard left turn deep into a mystical English countryside and floored me with its diffuse, bewitching atmospherics. Thanks to this album I discovered The Focus Group and the rest of their labelmates on Ghost Box Recordings, home of many pastoral yet spooky electronic sounds.

Throughout the evolution of their sound, the one constant was Trish’s vocals: at once soothing and tranquil yet haunting and slightly discomfiting.

I am most sad for her loss to her family and friends. Selfishly, I mourn the loss of all the music Trish and her partner James Cargill were yet to make together.