Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

Gracefully walking the line between experimental and catchy, the Birmingham, England-based electronica group Broadcast (formed in the mid-‘90s) is joined by the Focus Group, a.k.a. Julian House (co-founder of the Ghost Box label), on this impressive work. Witch Cults takes snippets of this and that — watery sounds and birdsong are recurring elements — to create individual tracks, and this collage-like album flows wonderfully. “The Be Colony” is a lush slice of dreamy psych that features the sweet vocals of Broadcast’s Trish Keenan. On “I See, So I See So,” she’s backed by tweaked, vaguely baroque keyboard and the sounds of the seashore. “Ritual/Looking In” blasts off with an entrancing jazz-rock groove festooned with flutes poking out riffs; later the beat goes away and the work of the great American composer Harry Partch comes to mind. “Royal Chant” beautifully weaves together spoken word, music box-type tinklings, harp plucks, dog barks, and hard-to-identify effects to create a sense of magic.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada