Album Review: Broadcaster – “Joyride”

“Joyride” is the latest release from Long Island three-piece power-pop outfit Broadcaster. Broadcaster have only been in the game since the Spring of 2010, but bring a sound that is well-crafted and polished, revealing heavy mid-90s indie rock influences run through a sort of post-punk filter.

“Joyride” is a four-song EP (the band’s second), and is bookended by a pair of tracks that will make fans of the 90’s power-pop sound instantly nostalgic. EP opener “Snow Party” starts with a bright, three-chord riff that would make Rivers Cuomo proud. While the song may speak of the cruelties of a New York winter, the music is up-tempo and oozes a classic summertime driving music feel. The album’s closing track, “Vacation Days,” has a very similar feel, albeit without the Weezer homage. Think power pop in the style of American Hi-Fi meets Better Than Ezra and/or the Lemonheads, or perhaps the more up-tempo end of the Pete Yorn spectrum (you know, the stuff without Scarlett Johansson or the sort of monotone drone that Yorn seems to have settled into in his more recent efforts).

Broadcaster deviate from the norm a little on the EP’s middle two tracks. “All Your Friends” has more of a gritty hook (a la a band like The Hold Steady) that sprouts up periodically around the more power pop sounding verses. At a running time of 2:21, the song feels particularly short and would benefit from being drawn out in a few areas. “Atlantic Sea” has a sound that is a little bit darker than the album’s other tracks, an interesting direction that would be interesting to hear the band explore more of on future releases. Bass player Tom Kelly holds the low end down with a particularly reverby rumble on this track, forming a steady rhythm section with drummer Anthony Vito’s solid, few frills technical style behind the kit.

Pulling off the prototypical power-pop sound without coming across as overly corny or saccharine-sweet is not always easy to do, and requires some serious effort on the part of the band’s frontman to steer the ship away from emo-infested waters. Broadcaster’s Jesse Litwa (guitar/vocals) is remarkably successful at telling stories of friendship, growing up and getting cold without resorting to the sort of pseudo-angsty, middle school lyrics that flood the younger end of the scene.

The tracks on “Joyride” are catchy and well-crafted, and what immediately comes to mind is how tight the band sounds, in spite of not deviating a whole lot from the traditional power-pop sound, the group doesn’t come across as sounding old or tired or, *gasp*, played out. At a total running time that barely crosses the ten minute line, “Joyride” is seemingly over before it starts. If the tracks suffer from anything, it is their brevity; most of the tracks (“All Your Friends” and “Atlantic Sea” chief among them) would benefit from being drawn out a little and having some of the musical ideas explored in more detail.