Children of Alice - S/T
(Warp)

Since the untimely and saddening loss of Broadcast’s Trish Keenan in 2011, the world (and this writer) have been hoping there’d be new music, even crumbs, from the band’s vaults or from the ex-members of the group. Since that time, Keenan’s partner in Broadcast, James Cargill, and keyboardist of the band Roj Stevens have teamed up with founder of the Ghost Box label, Julian House, for a new band reminiscent of Broadcast’s ouevre called Children of Alice. While not nearly as song focused or pop oriented as Broadcast, Children of Alice’s debut is a wondrous, kaleidoscopic mixture of psych, library groove, concrete, experimental and radiophonic sound akin to their perennial spirit guides Delia Derbyshire and David Vorhaus. And yes, it does recall Broadcast. Made up of 4 pieces over 1 LP, each piece juxtaposes experimental sound suites with brief spurts of vocal snippets. Roj Stevens’s solo LP for Ghost Box in 2009 seems to have been key to the rhythmic qualities of the record but House’s cut-up technique is also a major cog in this cosmic mixture. It feels like the trio constructed this LP in an actual workshop melding ticking-tocking percussion, clipped synths and clattering atmospherics all the while retaining an overt sense of bewilderment and awe. This one may fly under the radar but be advised, it could sneak onto many year end lists come December. (Dom)
Check out a track here