Broadcast's third proper album sees them retreating ever further from their commercial potential. So don't expect any ethereal pop gems like 'Echo's Answer', 'Papercuts' or 'Before We Begin', because 'Tender Buttons' finds them exploring the more experimental side to their craft as minimalist analog instruments replace their would-be film soundtracks. To a certain extent, the direction may have been forced by the group slimming down to just two core members but crucially, they still have the songs; it's just a case of persisting with the record before you learn to love them. Closer inspection of the supposedly primtive synthesizer beats will discover avant garde pop triumphs such as 'Michael' and 'The Black Cat'. Elsewhere, 'Tears In The Typing Pool' and 'Subject Of The Ladder' may not contain such obvious melodic hooks but they haunt and enchant long after the CD has stopped playing. So whilst Broadcast have reduced in personnel, their quotient of quality tracks is maintained at a high level.