Tender Buttons

Broadcast | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warp Records
• ASIN: B000A3OX1O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,381 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #63 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

"There is a theme of letting go on Tender Buttons" says Broadcast’s frontwoman Trish Keenan when describing the band's new album. "A flower lets go of it's fragrance, Michael lets go of his past and I let go of my embarrassment of letting go." As Trish’s musings suggest, Tender Buttons is a striking personal diary and a powerful sonic imprint of two peoples lives.

Product Description

One of the most creative and original bands on the planet, Broadcast have spent years perfecting their introspective brand of psychadelic pop. After a string of brilliant records and countless sold out live shows comes their most fully realized album yet. Tender Buttons is a strikingly personal diary of an album that skips from love to longing without missing a beat. Giving subtle aesthetic nods to legends like Can, Joy Division, Kate Bush and Jean Jacques Perry, Tender Buttons is a powerful gust of sonics that will not fail to leave an impression. Trish Keenan's vocals are as ethereal and poignant as ever and her masterful songwriting is perfectly matched by the crunchy melodic wall of sound from the bands instruments and powerful vintage electronics. Warp. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, September 22, 2005

By 

alexander laurence (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tender Buttons (Audio CD)

Broadcast is down to two members now, Trish Keenan and James Cargill. I saw them play a few years ago and it was great. They definitely have their own sound. It's sort of this 1960s sound that never existed, and 1984 futuristic vibe. Tender Buttons is a novel by Gertrude Stein. It is one of the most difficult books and I am not sure that anyone ever figured out what it meant. So Broadcast has created word and sound collages. Things are really stripped down. In songs like "Black Cat" moogs go wild and there is something claustrophobic too. Of course there are some quiet folk moments in songs like "Tender Buttons" and "Tears in the Typing Pool." The song "America's Boy" almost sounds like Ladytron. There is interesting phrasing in "Corporeal." The beats are simple. The synths are out of control. The vocals remain the same. Broadcast is good at what it does. If it was easy, other people would be making good records. I guess they mourned Dr. Robert Moog's recent passing away. This is a tribute that these sounds will live on.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still doing their own thing., October 4, 2005

By 

C. J. White "Sip_of_gold" (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tender Buttons (Audio CD)

This album is GREAT, but not as wholly captivating and as entrancing as HaHa Sound, which had much deeper underlying goins-on than Tender Buttons. Furthermore, I do not understand why they even waste running time with tracks like "Minus 3", "Bit 35," and "You and Me in Time." They are nothing compared to the instrumentals proceeding old favorites like "The Book Lovers" and "Message from Home." But as to the actual songs "The Goodbye Girls" is probably my favorite, having this real icy sheen and very smooth vintage synths with a classic 60's vocal melody. The rest are superb as well.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Messed up sounding, in the good way., January 2, 2006

By 

Arnie Grape - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tender Buttons (Audio CD)

I bought this album on a whim, having had recieved favorable reviews and solid reference points. At first, I thought, well this is qualified early Stereolab-sounding stuff, which isn't bad. But on further listens I was able to differentiate, realizing that this album is totally amazing. It's able to evoke various periods and continents of influence, all at the same time. MBV: check. Kraftwerk: check. I'll let you do the math. Most of all, this record is noisy, in the way that I want to guitars to be noisy, and messed up-sounding.
The misses are few. Check this out.