Broadcast – Haha Sound

Broadcast's Haha Sound was first released in 2003 as the Birmingham group's second album, and it captures a clear shift from the softer dreaminess of The Noise Made by People toward something more percussive, uncanny and restlessly detailed. Built around Trish Keenan's poised, coolly intimate voice, the record balances melody with a playful sense of disorientation, drawing on analogue synth textures, scratchy electronics and pop forms that never quite settle into the expected shape.

What makes Haha Sound so rewarding is the way Broadcast turn familiar ideas inside out. Sources consistently point to its mix of accessible pop writing with stranger materials: library-music touches, exotica, grainy feedback, rhythmic clatter and cinematic mood. Tracks such as “Pendulum,” “Ominous Cloud” and “Colour Me In” show that range especially well, moving from pulsing motorik energy to glowing, almost fairy-tale atmosphere without losing the album's peculiar internal logic.

It also holds an important place in the band's catalogue. This was Broadcast's first album to chart in the US Top Electronic Albums, and it remains one of the records most closely associated with the group’s distinctive blend of retro-futurist songcraft and experimental sound design. This vinyl edition brings back the Warp reissue with a tip-on sleeve and download card, which suits an album whose tactile, slightly haunted surfaces are a big part of its appeal.

Features

• Tip-on sleeve
• Includes download card

Reviews

• Full of fascinating twists and turns, Haha Sound balances Broadcast's pop and experimental instincts with heart and style. - AllMusic.com
• Every note, every lyric, is perfect. - The Guardian