Pluto Records seems to pride itself on having as eclectic a roster as possible. No band on the Texas-based indie-core upstart approaches rock ‘n’ roll the same way – not recent signees Sparks is a Diamond, not fellow Texans The JonBenet and The Dead See, and especially not HORSE the Band. When so many other labels are signing bands that are no more than cookie cutter copies of bands they’ve already signed, a label that actually makes a point to sign an eclectic force is more than refreshing.
Broadcast Sea call Dallas and Austin home but their sound is something far more industrialized than the wide-open country roads that connect these two Texas towns. And now I’m not talking about Ministry / NIN / God Lives Underwater “industrial” but the actual rusted wheels, broken windows, grey skies and cold concrete of an industry town. Wounded Soldier isn’t garage rock – it’s factory rock. It’s metal and concrete, coffee and cigarettes; it’s the sound of hard work and hard liquor. This wounded soldier isn’t a boy home from battle, it’s a broken down man who has given his life to the toil of labor.
“We’re a Dying Breed” is the wounded soldier’s ‘Dead or Alive’ anthem. “I’ve Seen Better” is These Arms Are Snakes on downers, a Sabbath-esque riff blasted from a Seattle basement. “Black Waves” – now stay with me here – sounds like The Bends era Radiohead, but, you know, like, pissed off at shit – hauntingly beautiful and jarring in the most perfect of ways.
“Heavy Heavy” is something like The Stooges at the end of a long day, a slow dance with hard drugs. “The News Came This Morning” is slow to unfold but eventually reveals itself to be the most developed tune on Wounded Soldier. A truly great album would have been loaded with gems like this one. Instead it is buried seven songs deep, which is why Wounded Soldier, though full of promise, is mediocre at best.
I feel the same way about this record as I do any of Quicksand’s seminal output – in the right frame of mind, the slow, prodding rhythms, steady swing and constant drive can be soothing (“One Day We’ll Find You”). Or it can bore you to tears (the stuck-in-the-mud “As The Story Continues”). Broadcast Sea are blessed to have been signed by a label that seems committed to exploring that proverbial ‘something different.’ Wounded Soldier is a solid listen, but I’ll be waiting for the sophomore session to make my final judgment on this band.
myspace: www.myspace.com/broadcastsea
mp3: "One Day We Will Find You"
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