Public Service Broadcasting – Inform Educate Entertain (2013)
Year: 2013
Label: Test Card Recordings
Track Listing:
- Inform Educate Entertain
- Spitfire
- Theme From PSB
- Signal 30
- Night Mail
- Qomolangma
- Roygbiv
- The Now Generation
- Lit Up
- Everest
- Late Night Final
Subculture Media ‘Inform Educate Entertain’ – Public Service Broadcasting Review:
There are some music lovers out there that would be quick to dismiss English act Public Service Broadcasting’s latest album “Inform Educate Entertain” as a flash-in-the-pan gimmick. But the people that would say that are the same kind of people that like to enter into the art vs art installation argument. Art is art and music is music and if you dig a little deeper the concept behind “Inform Educate Entertain” is a gutsy one with merit.
Public Service Broadcasting is made up J. Willgoose Esq. (who pretty much plays every instrument under the sun on the album) and Wrigglesworth who brings the drums and some haunting saxophone playing to the table. Also playing a key role in the sound of this album are the voices of various public service films (read into that propaganda films) that have been made over the years.
The idea behind “Inform Educate Entertain” is to point out that often videos disguised as public announcements or safety messages are in fact a way to try and control the public. Whether or not Public Service Broadcasting get that message across to their listeners is debatable but this is still an album that can be enjoyed by those who enjoy a good electronic or experimental album.
The only main weakness of this album is that some tracks just seem to glide by and become background noise but they are largely outnumbered by the amount of tracks that actually stand out. Late Night Final is smooth jazz at its best while for the most part tracks like Inform Educate Entertain, Everest, The Now Generation and Spitfire show that Public Service Broadcasting are one of the best groups going around at capturing that mix of electronic and rock.
Other tracks that certainly make a splash are the 80s pop sounding Theme From PSB (that also uses banjos to good effect), the rockier Signal 30 which incorporates some voiceover from road safety videos remarkably well and the smooth Lit Up which constantly reminds the listener that this is in fact ‘all just fairyland.’
The naysayers are pointing out that Public Service Broadcasting might find it hard to have a future after this but stay in the now people, what they have delivered here is a great sounding electronic album that has a memorable concept. I also hear that they do a pretty awesome live show so check them out if you can.
Rating (out of 5): 