''Spell Blanket'' is the first demo album by British

indie electronic Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group

Broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

. It was released on 3 May 2024, through

Warp Records Warp Records is a British independent record label that specialises in Electronic music, electronic, indie rock and experimental music. It was founded in Sheffield in 1989 by Steve Beckett, Robert Mitchell and Robert Gordon. It has released recor ...

. This album marks the fourth posthumous release by Broadcast after lead singer Trish Keenan's death in 2011, and the final release of unheard material from the group.

Background

In September 2023, group member James Cargill, who has taken on the role of managing Broadcast's remaining material, announced on

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that he would be issuing a collection of previously unreleased demos in early 2024. In March 2024, Warp Records announced the release of two demo albums: ''Spell Blanket'' in May 2024, and ''Distant Call'' in September 2024. These two releases are to be the final material released by Broadcast. ''Spell Blanket'' consists of unreleased demos by Keenan recorded to 4-track tapes and

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s that were intended for the follow-up to Broadcast's 2005 album '' Tender Buttons''.

Singles

The same day of the announcement, a track off each album was released, with ''Spell Blanket''s being a previously unheard song, "Follow the Light". Four other songs could be previously heard on Cargill's

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account: "The Song Before The Song Comes Out", "Petal Alphabet", "Where Are You?", and "Tunnel View". In April 2024, a new single was released for the album, "The Games You Play". This demo is an vocal version of their instrumental song "DDL", which was featured on their 2006 compilation album '' The Future Crayon''.

Reception

Upon its release, ''Spell Blanket'' was met with critical acclaim. Piers Martin of '' Uncut'' gave the release a 9/10 rating, writing of how "It fills in gaps we didn't know were there, offers tantalizing clues to their unfinished fifth album, and somehow ends up enhancing their mystique, despite laying all the cards on the table." He praised Keenan's poetic lyrics and the variety of styles and textures that she and Cargill experiment with. Heather Phares of

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also commended the lyrical work, noting "There's a fullness to Keenan's lyrics that brings out the empathy of her writing as well as its mystery and beauty", and calling it a "true privilege" to discover the "raw brilliance" of the music.

Charts

Track listing

References

{{Broadcast 2024 albums Broadcast (band) albums Warp Records albums 2020s demo albums