''The Noise Made by People'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English

indie electronic Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band

Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

. It was released on 20 March 2000 by

Warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

. The band recorded and produced the album themselves after being dissatisfied with the results of earlier recording sessions helmed by external engineers. Two singles were released from ''The Noise Made by People''; "Echo's Answer" on 1 November 1999 and "Come On Let's Go" on 22 May 2000.

Composition

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'' critic Claire Lobenfeld described the style of ''The Noise Made by People'' as a homage of 1960s

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

; meanwhile, Carlene Bauer of ''

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'' characterised it as "

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, but not shot full of skittering beats", noting Broadcast's approach of fusing "synthesized sounds and live instrumentation". Writing for ''

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'', Mark Jenkins said that the album "combines dub atmospherics,

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

-driven audio collage and

Trish Keenan Patricia Anne Keenan (28 September 1968 – 14 January 2011) was an English musician and singer. She was the lead vocalist and founding member of the electronic band Broadcast, which she formed in 1995. The band released a total of five studio a ...

's icy vocals in the manner of Portishead."

Critical reception

''The Noise Made by People'' received critical acclaim. Awarding it a full score of five stars,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Heather Phares called the album "shimmering, weightless pop" that "delivers roadcasts sound in widescreen, filmic grandeur." ''

''s

Dan Gardopée Daniel Gardopée a.k.a. Dan Grandpre (a.k.a. Basehead in the tracker community) is an American electronic musician and former member of game music production company Straylight Productions. He was active in the tracking community during the 1990s ...

applauded it as "positively vibrant and alive." ''Pitchfork'' placed ''The Noise Made by People'' at number 177 on its list of the best albums of the 2000s, and "Echo's Answer" at number 178 on its list of the best tracks of the 1990s.

Legacy

In 2014, ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

''s Billy Black hailed ''The Noise Made by People'' as

's most representative release. Lauding its "untouchable otherness", Black wrote that it helped pave paths for "accessible"

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

in the future. ''

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''s Nate Patrin wrote an essay on the album in response to its 20th anniversary, crediting it with introducing a "more sophisticated, less caricatured"

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

style to the new millennium.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. * Broadcast –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing,

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* Stephen Francis – mixing (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12) * Paul Glave – engineering (tracks 8, 10, 12) *

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

– artwork, photography * Kenny Patterson – engineering (track 11) * Steve Perkins – drums (tracks 8, 11, 12) *

Keith York Keith York is an English session drummer who has toured throughout the world and worked with a range of bands, including The Lightning Seeds, Pitchshifter, bivouac, Ladytron, and Esoteric, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Broadcast and Love Amongst Ruin. He wa ...

– drums (tracks 2–4, 6, 7, 9)

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Noise Made by People, The 2000 debut albums Broadcast (band) albums Warp (record label) albums Tommy Boy Records albums