In Remembrance of Trish Keenan

Today the world has lost the wonderful voice of Trish Keenan, lead singer of the English experimental electronic pop duo Broadcast. Warp Records has released a statement on the matter that I won't bother re-hashing here.

I recall first getting my hands on a Broadcast record during a time back in high school when I was totally taken with the music of Stereolab and went looking for similar thrills. I ended up with a copy of their Extended Play Two EP, an ethereal set of songs that I still find myself going back to from time to time.

In October of 2009, I was lucky enough to get to see Broadcast perform on their dual-headlining tour with Atlas Sound. I recall them opening with a winding and dense 20-minute track that found the duo behind their synthesizers exchanging volleys of noise, with the occasional yelp or howl from Keenan. When the group launched into their more recognizable songs, Keenan firmly planted herself directly in front of the projection screen, colors and shapes oscillating on her white dress and pale complexion. There was no need for theatrics or flailing about—just the presence of that unmistakably beautiful voice.

Thanks for the music, the best of which lent a dream-like glaze to the oftentimes bitter reality that we inhabit. Trish Keenan, you'll be sorely missed.

The Books, Rural Alberta Advantage, & Broadcast Head to Wex

I have to give it up to whoever is booking for the Wexner Center this fall, because the lineup for their Next@Wex series is one of the best they've ever put together. Not only is Wilco playing the Wexner's Mershon Auditorium in October, but there are three other bands coming to the arts center that I'm very excited about seeing.

First up is sound collage duo The Books, who will be playing in the performance space on September 17th. They will be supported by Lymbyc Systym, a duo with similar collage tendencies but with a decidedly post-rock tinge whom I've really taken a liking to since discovering them earlier this week. The Books are well known for live shows that implement video to compliment their audio, so I'm looking forward to a very unique experience. Here's hoping they preview a few tracks from their forthcoming, and long overdue, new album...

Next up is a group from Canada who I have only just started listening to, but have taken an instant liking to. They're called the Rural Alberta Advantage, and their debut record Hometowns was recently released here in the US on Saddle Creek records. I'm not even sure how to describe them without comparing them to a plethora of other bands, and likely still not giving any clear idea of their sound. They'll be playing a Black Box show at the Wex on September 27, so I highly recommend checking them out for yourself.

Finishing off the Wex's fine Fall line-up is a rare appearance from the British electronic duo Broadcast on October 25. The pair will be touring in support of a new EP, their first new recorded work in almost four years, which will be dropping on October 13 via Warp Records here in the US. To me, these guys kind of fit into the same category as Stereolab, although I do seem to remember discovering both groups at the same time, so my judgment might be slightly skewed. Regardless, they'll an interesting group to see live since I'm not really familiar with what their live shows are typically like. Hope to see some of you at the Wex at all of these great shows!