Broadcast Pendulum EP

You have it, then you lose it, and once you've lost it it's gone forever. The truest words that Irvine Welsh ever wrote, made more poignant and real by the fact that it happened to him too.

Since the immediate visceral thrill of Work and Non-Work, Broadcast have demanded more of the listener in order that diligence should be repaid with a deeper level of appreciation. Their last album exemplified this concept, and the two Extended Play EPs (especially the second, which contained the heart-bursting Illumination) showed that they could throw away songs that would be the centrepiece to most band's albums.

This taster for their new album contains six songs, but the feeling that their most creative times are behind them cannot be shaken. The title track, a space-rock dirge reminiscent of Can at their dirtiest, attempts progress, and while it's a great tune the knowledge that it would have been a b-side during their last bout of prolificacy cannot be ignored. The rest of the EP would also be a revelation had they sprung out of nowhere, but maybe that's the price you pay for transcending the average so markedly. Sometimes, context is a bitch...