This first full length album by classical music graduate turned folkster Joe Steer, who goes by the name Broadcast 2000, is sure to appeal to those that enjoyed The Sleeper, last year’s critically acclaimed album from The Leisure Society.
Released on Groenland Records in Europe, Broadcast 2000 offers a similar warm, low-key take on indie-folk, and an interesting mix of styles.
Vocally UK based Steer is a surprisingly pleasing mix of The Street’s Mike Skinner with Frank Turner . While musically he is very much in the vein of Brighton’s Willkommen Records roster of acts, including The Miserable Rich and formerly The Leisure Society. All the way through the album his classical music background clearly shines through giving the album a real intelligence and care in the arrangements.
Steer is an avid looper of acoustic instruments and there are elements of another looper Andrew Bird here, especially the prominence given to violin on the album, which is performed by Noah and Whale’s Tom Hobden.
It is no surprise that Hobden is involved and there are many similarities with Noah and the Whale on Steer’s debut in the way the tracks are quirky enough to appeal to indie fans, but catchy and mainstream enough to get airplay and perhaps even the odd mobile phone advertiser calling.
Track one ‘Rouse Your Bones’ starts the album off well setting the scene for the glockenspiel twinkles and violin and string arrangements to come. Among the standout tracks is ‘That Sinking Feeling’. Its crushing lyrics such as, “I’ll give my lungs a rest and wait until that sinking feeling’s happening in my chest,” make it sound like a tearful break up song, although Steer tells us that, “It’s not really a break up song to me no, but I’m happy for people to interpret however they like.”
‘Hold My Breath’ is another highlight, giving the appearance of being twee at first, before the cellos come in and it becomes a far grander offering.
Overall Broadcast 2000 is an excellent debut for Steer that showcases one of the UK’s brightest indie-folk talents. What is perhaps most pleasing is that while the production has moved out of the bedroom since his earlier releases and into the studio, the album still retains that home-spun feel.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
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