Tender Buttons - Broadcast
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. It's so satisfying when a band is able to subtly re-invent its sound, as Keenan and Cargill have done here so well.
  2. Tender Buttons feels more urgent and alive than anything Broadcast has ever recorded.
  3. 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.
  4. A bit of a winner. [17 Sep 2005, p.58]
  5. 80
    Their best by a country mile. [Oct 2005, p.118]
  6. 80
    It's always amazing to see a band eclipse their influences. [Oct 2005, p.77]
  7. [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.
  8. Made of equal parts detached beauty and inspired disintegration, it is a transmission from another place -- no matter where you live.
  9. The resulting sound is tougher and more insistent, a succession of incessant rhythms layered with fuzziness and distortion.
  10. Broadcast have produced arguably their finest moment.
  11. 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.
  12. 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]
  13. The Birmingham band's finest hour yet.
  14. 70
    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]
  15. Hypnotic and dreamlike, the album presents a vision of pop music's future glimpsed through the lens of its past.
  16. Many tracks sound like they're simply missing a piece.
  17. 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.
  18. 68
    Though it may be too severe a downgrade for some, Tender Buttons is in fact a lovely ugly thing. [#17, p.96]
  19. Overall, the depleted group's signal is weakened. [23 Sep 2005, p.90]
  20. 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.
  21. You want to like Broadcast. But they don't make it easy. [Oct 2005, p.115]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. To blend electronic and organic into a state of balance is a triumph that probably only Broadcast could achieve. In other words, Tender Buttons rocks. Less analogue, more jarring this time – the third LP by the wizards of Warp finds them exploring new territories. The beats has become crude, even provoking but the whole album is surprisingly melodic and, horror of horrors, danceable. Black Cat is the best example of Broadcast’s new aesthetics: heavy and frigid but vibrant. It is also the best track here. America’s Boy and Michael A Grammar find the band in a similar mood. Those missing the old Broadcast will be satisfied with the opening I Found the F; it is when the band say goodbye to the past, ready to open a new chapter in their career. Arc of a Journey is a tender if dissonant sci-fi ballad. The most polished track and another standout is the instrumental Minus 3, also known as Evil Is Coming (I like the latter title best). Besides the omnipresent beats, the album has some great guitar moments: the title track is almost folk. In many songs live instruments play a major role. Tender Buttons confirms the status of Broadcast as the masters of electronica, left-field, sometimes cold and haunting but always hypnotic and full of emotions. If this is a sound of a glacier, then it must be melting. Full Review »
  2. LarryP
    9
    74 is way way too low. The album that will grow the most on you all year, my fav is the lovely "goodbye girls."
  3. meeshaf
    9
    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. Full Review »