Perkins and Stevens left the band in 2000, and Felton left in 2004. Stevens released a solo album under the name Roj, and Felton formed the group Seeland with Billy Bainbridge from Plone. After the January 2011 death of Trish Keenan, James Cargill is the only current member of the band.
The band has released five albums in their career: "The Noise Made by People" (2000), "Haha Sound" (2003), "Tender Buttons" (2005), "Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age" (2009, with The Focus Group) and "Berberian Sound Studio" (2013), the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Cargill has stated that plans for an album featuring Keenan's final recordings is in the works.
The band's first releases were singles released on Wurlitzer Jukebox Records ( "Accidentals" ) and Duophonic Records ("The Book Lovers") in the mid-1990s. "The Book Lovers" was also featured on the soundtrack of the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. They attracted the attention of Warp Records, who compiled the singles in 1997 on "Work and Non Work".
The band was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, Somerset, England.
The band's style is a mixture of electronic sounds and Keenan's 1960s-influenced vocals. It is heavily influenced by the 1960s influenced American psychedelic group The United States of America, using many of the same electronic effects. It was also reminiscent of Stereolab. However, despite the similar musical pedigree, Broadcast's music is often darker and edgier in sound – with amorphous samples and analogue dissonance giving it a retro-futuristic sci-fi edge.
On January 14th, 2011, Trish Keenan died from complications caused by pneumonia.
There are other artists with the same name:
2.) Broadcast is a melodic hardcore band from west coast of Sweden. Their debut EP, Guidelines was released on november 11th, 2013.
https://www.facebook.com/broadcastofficial
http://broadcastofficial.bandcamp.com
3.) Broadcast was a Finnish pop rock group founded in 1980 by i.a. Edu Kettunen, Kim Lönnholm and Esa Kaartamo.
Subject to the Ladder
Broadcast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hooked by failure
Ruled as a juvenile
Aged as an infantile
Subject to the ladder
Ruined by affection
Excepted by exception
Cornered by ritual
Diminished by impression
Cried out in the lesson
Subject to the ladder
Subject to the ladder
My thoughts are coming through
Emptiness follows too
A cyclone full on feeling
In the silence of the room
Defended by defendants
Corrected by the pain
Inspected by a sadness
Exhausted by a game
Subject to the ladder
Subject to the ladder
My thoughts are coming through
Emptiness follows too
A cyclone full of feeling
The silence of the room
A picture turning over
Jewel in the water
Where echo saw reflection
Not what it taught her
Invaded by the quarrels
And I denied the lathe
Let me chop down the laurel
A goal I won't escape
In bullied deception
But when the whistle came
Esteem had broke infection
My torment fought with shame
Subject to the ladder
Subject to the ladder
My thoughts are coming through
Emptiness follows too
A cyclone full of feeling
The silence of the room
Subject to the ladder
The song "Subject to the Ladder" by Broadcast is a commentary on the human experience of being subject to societal pressures and expectations. The lyrics highlight the ways in which we are ruled by our failures and diminished by impressions made upon us by others. The ladder represents the hierarchy of life, with those at the top often being celebrated and praised, while those at the bottom are ignored or cast aside.
The first verse communicates a sense of frustration and helplessness, as the singer feels trapped by their position in the ladder. They are neither successful nor entirely defeated, but instead stuck in a perpetual state of mediocrity. They feel that affection and attention from others only serves to further diminish their value.
The second verse continues this theme of being subject to outside forces. The singer is defended and corrected by others, but these actions only serve to reinforce the ladder they are trying to escape. The silence of the room suggests a lack of support or understanding from those around them, which leaves them feeling alone and adrift.
Throughout the song, the use of language is cryptic and enigmatic, full of metaphors and oblique references. However, the underlying message of the song is clear: we are all subject to the ladder, and the only hope of escaping is through self-reflection and a willingness to challenge societal norms.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not Pygmalion
I am not a sculptor who creates a perfect woman and falls in love with her, but rather an imperfect human.
Hooked by failure
I am addicted to my own failures and can't seem to escape them.
Ruled as a juvenile
I am a grown adult living with the same insecurities and fears from childhood.
Aged as an infantile
I have aged physically but still feel like a helpless little child on the inside.
Subject to the ladder
I am a slave to my own self-imposed hierarchy of success and failure.
Ruined by affection
I have been destroyed by love that was supposed to lift me up, but instead dragged me down.
Excepted by exception
I am only accepted by others when I do something extraordinary, otherwise I feel invisible and ignored.
Predicted on a graph
My whole life has been planned out by society's expectations of what I should achieve based on my age.
Cornered by ritual
I feel trapped by the monotonous routine of everyday life that society tells me to follow.
Diminished by impression
The image I have of myself is constantly being lowered by the negative opinions and criticisms of others.
Cried out in the lesson
I have cried out for help, but nobody seems to hear me or care enough to assist me.
My thoughts are coming through
I am able to think and express myself despite the overwhelming feeling of emptiness.
Emptiness follows too
A sense of loneliness and despair always lingers in the background despite my efforts to ignore it.
A cyclone full on feeling
My emotions are turbulent and chaotic, making it difficult to differentiate between what I am truly feeling.
In the silence of the room
Everything that I am experiencing is happening internally, in the silence and solitude of my own mind.
Defended by defendants
I am constantly being attacked by others who try to criticize or undermine me, but I always find a way to defend myself.
Corrected by the pain
I have learned my lessons through painful experiences, which have corrected my thinking and behavior.
Inspected by a sadness
A feeling of sadness or melancholy follows me wherever I go, and it colors everything that I experience.
Exhausted by a game
Living life feels like a game that I can never win, and I am exhausted by the constant struggle.
A picture turning over
My entire perception of reality is flipping upside down, making me question everything that I thought I knew.
Jewel in the water
Something valuable and precious has been lost to me and I can never get it back, like a jewel sinking to the bottom of water.
Where echo saw reflection
When I look at my reflection, all I see is an empty shell that echoes back to me.
Not what it taught her
I have learned things that conflict with what I was taught, and this contradiction is causing me pain and confusion.
Invaded by the quarrels
Arguments and conflicts keep creeping into my life, making me feel like I can never find peace.
And I denied the lathe
I rejected the idea of molding and shaping myself into a perfect form because it felt false and unnatural.
Let me chop down the laurel
I want to reject the societal norms of success and achievement that are represented by the laurel of victory.
A goal I won't escape
I have a goal that I cannot ignore, even if it causes me pain and suffering.
In bullied deception
I have been fooled and deceived by others who bullied and harassed me.
But when the whistle came
When I finally had an opportunity to escape the cycle of abuse and harassment, I took it.
Esteem had broke infection
I gained a sense of self-esteem and confidence, which broke the cycle of abuse that I was trapped in.
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED
Written by: JAMES CARGILL, PATRICIA KEENAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind