The Daily Growl

What would the name Broadcast 2000 suggest to you? I’d think of an electronic artist for sure. Maybe even one in some sort of awe of erm, Broadcast maybe. It also makes me think of all these pre-millennial ropily-titled clubs, pseudonyms and other projects, whose built-in titular obsolescence was evident as soon as the clocked ticked 12:00 on 1 January 2001.

But anyone misled by the name would be missing out on some fine music, because that’s exactly what Joe Steer, who is Broadcast 2000 provides us with. And far from containing bleeps or repetitive beats, it’s breezy, summery folk-pop. Maybe I write about this sort of stuff too much on this blog, but I’m a bit of a sucker for someone who knows their way round a decent pop tune augmented with nicely judged harmonies and a bit of quirky instrumentation. The tracks on Broadcast 2000’s debut EP Building Blocks suggest someone who might be at home in the Fence Collective, but with more of a shiny pop sensibility (and by that I don’t mean KT Tunstall). It also puts me in mind of other Daily Growl favourites such as Beirut, M Craft and Barbarossa.

The EP was recorded, mixed and mastered in Steer’s north London flat, and over the six tracks on the EP he combines cello, double bass, guitar, ukulele, glockenspiel, banjo, makeshift percussion and his own layered vocals to fine effect. The EP’s currently only available at iTunes, but he’s just signed a record deal, so hopefully those of us who prefer a physical product should have one sometime soon.

Download: Broadcast 2000 – Don’t Weigh Me Down