Sunday 5 May 2013

Music - Part 77 - Public Service Broadcasting




Public Service Broadcasting – Inform – Educate – Entertain (Test Card Recordings)
LP/CD/DL
6 May 2013


I’ll admit it, I was late catching on to Public Service Broadcasting, but, by the time I blogged about them in November of last year (read the article here), I was hooked. 

It’s pretty common knowledge now how PSB make their music, and, many initially viewed them as a bit of a novelty act, so is a full album of instrumentally accompanied public information films actually any good?  Well, quite simply, yes it is.

From the opening, title track, PSB’s intentions are clear, to do exactly what the title says – ‘Inform, Educate, Entertain’.  Polished tracks which stand up by themselves, but, with the addition of interesting sound bytes, the tracks are lifted to something incredibly wonderful.  There are obvious comparisons to OMD’s  1983 release, ‘Genetic Engineering’ from the wonderful ‘Dazzle Ships’ album, but as sound quality has improved over the years, so has the end result on this album.

The guitar hooks on the superb ‘Spitfire’ (here, the lone track from last years ‘The War Room EP’), and, the album highlight, ‘Signal 30’, are simply superb.  Don’t be fooled by thinking PSB are purely an electronic band, the later of these two tracks has real balls and sounds absolutely incredible cranked up loud.


The success of J. Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth is down to their ability to produce a great corduroy-dressed tune, whether it be ‘Theme from PSB’ with its banjolele, or, ‘Lit Up’ with its Kraftwerk nods.  They are endearing and often amusing  but at the same time exciting and powerful.  Royal Mail, American Road Safety, WW2, mountain exploration, it’s all here, present and very correct.  ‘The Now Generation’ with its Prince/electro funk/rock is particularly good fun.

There’s a moment of calm in the sombre ‘Qomolangma’ which barren of any words at all , album finale ‘Late Night Final’ is a haunting, moving close.

After succeeding so well with their first album, it’s maybe difficult to see where Public Service Broadcasting will go next for their ‘difficult second album’.  More of the same or a change of direction?  For the time being, let us wallow in a glorious album of stark originality and potential mass appeal.  One of the finest debut’s for quite some time, and, one to which you really must take the time to enjoy.

Oh, and they have the same initials as me.









1 comment:

  1. Just heard them for the first time on the radio and remembered I'd seen you mention them on Twitter. Will definitely check them out more now :-)

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