Broads - Hellas
8/10
Following up from Broads’ promising Care And Handling EP, Hellas is a decent, if relatively short and somewhat confused album on Russian imprint Fuselab.
As the title suggests, opening track Minim is minimalist electronica but brings to mind Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks. Soft Homo hints at Mogwai's soundtrack work on Zidane and Les Revenants. Broadcast come to mind with the spooky Sometimes I Feel Like A Bad Dad, whilst Paris Garters is indie, like British Sea Power with a drum machine.
Soul Taps is reminiscent of Jon Hopkins, particularly his work with King Creosote. The title track is the only real letdown, being a short, bass drone that could be built up to a full song. The sample in Straight Up Tea House is the kinda thing Public Service Broadcasting use but here it is mated to music that recalls Tour de France era Kraftwerk. Broads describes his music as "whispering folk drone”. Only closing track Kit Party really fulfils that brief.
With the exception of the too brief title track, everything on here is good. Broads deserves credit for not being tied to one sound but this isn't cohesive. Maybe he is trying to find his own identity. When he finds it, I think we'll be hearing something very special indeed.
8/10
