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Tender Buttons
by Broadcast

Broadcast reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 76 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.4 out of 10
based on 21 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Half the band has departed (replaced by a drum machine), but Broadcast's third LP still features the vocals of Trish Keenan and James Cargill's retro-electronic sound.

LABEL: Warp
RELEASE DATE: 20 September 2005
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Indie, Rock, Electronic

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Dusted Magazine
It's so satisfying when a band is able to subtly re-invent its sound, as Keenan and Cargill have done here so well.
Read Full Review
86
cokemachineglow
Tender Buttons feels more urgent and alive than anything Broadcast has ever recorded.
Read Full Review
83
Stylus Magazine
They've lost two members... so perhaps that explains some of the more aggressive focus and minimalist arrangement, but not the surprise-around-every-corner freedom they find within their self-imposed stricture.
Read Full Review
80
Urb
It's always amazing to see a band eclipse their influences. [Oct 2005, p.77]
80
Mojo
Their best by a country mile. [Oct 2005, p.118]
80
New Musical Express
A bit of a winner. [17 Sep 2005, p.58]
80
Prefix Magazine
Made of equal parts detached beauty and inspired disintegration, it is a transmission from another place -- no matter where you live.
Read Full Review
80
The Guardian
[Broadcast] have managed to find a halfway house between this always engaging but fussed-at sound and the resonant, muscular psychedelia of their spectacular live shows.
Read Full Review
80
musicOMH.com
Broadcast have produced arguably their finest moment.
Read Full Review
80
Neumu.net
The resulting sound is tougher and more insistent, a succession of incessant rhythms layered with fuzziness and distortion.
Read Full Review
75
Pitchfork
What you have with Tender Buttons is a Broadcast album that listeners might need to spend more time with than expected. That said, this is still a Broadcast album, meaning it's one of the better things you'll put in your ear this year.
Read Full Review
70
Playlouder
The Birmingham band's finest hour yet.
Read Full Review
70
Uncut
Despite this record's twilight charms, the group may need to become more expansive if they want to head further out there. [Oct 2005, p.96]
70
PopMatters
For those who loved haha Sound, it may sound jarring at first, but ultimately, Broadcast's newfound edginess makes this rewarding new album their boldest to date.
Read Full Review
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
Many tracks sound like they're simply missing a piece.
Read Full Review
70
Junkmedia
Hypnotic and dreamlike, the album presents a vision of pop music's future glimpsed through the lens of its past.
Read Full Review
70
Under The Radar
The most challenging [album] yet for Broadcast, and the melodic bits hidden amongst the headspace traffic reward keen listeners on repeated spins. [#11, p.109]
68
Filter
Though it may be too severe a downgrade for some, Tender Buttons is in fact a lovely ugly thing. [#17, p.96]
67
Entertainment Weekly
Overall, the depleted group's signal is weakened. [23 Sep 2005, p.90]
60
Dot Music
There are precious moments on here and hints that something truly magnificent could emerge in time, but first Broadcast need to work out exactly where they're going and why.
Read Full Review
40
Q Magazine
You want to like Broadcast. But they don't make it easy. [Oct 2005, p.115]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Larry P gave it a9:
74 is way way too low. The album that will grow the most on you all year, my fav is the lovely "goodbye girls."

meesha f gave it a9:
Broadcast does a lot with very little. Atmospheric music for the headphone set. Trish Keenan sings like a fallen angel. You won't be able to get it out of the CD player.

dan b. gave it an8:
really good album. if you liked their older stuff, you ought to like this. if you haven't heard them, this is as good as the rest to check out.

Marcus B gave it a9:
Easily Their Best Work By A Country Mile! Live It Rocked Hard!

Manny gave it an8:
I've played the album through about four times now and I have to say that it's another classic Broadcast album. The melodies in some of the songs have never been more wistful. Favorite album tracks beyond the three that had been leaked to the internet and had become my favorites (America's Boy, Goodbye Girls, & I Found the F) are: Tears in the Typing Pool (with the loveliest vocals from Trish yet!) and Michael (with its incessant beat and repeating of the title name, which reminds me of all the boys named Michael I know!) This is just the most perfect thing to listen to during the Fall. New comers to the band may not find it as great as I do, but loyal fans will find another ace album from this singular band.

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