Chroniques

CBC Music | 29 June 2017

First Play: Public Service Broadcasting, Every Valley

Andrea Gin

British post-rock band Public Service Broadcasting takes a deep dive into the rise and fall of the mining industry in Wales on its new album, Every Valley.

Listening to this new music feels a little like listening to a musical documentary. The instrumental band features samples of historical materials, like propaganda films and old newsreels, and manages to give a bit of a history lesson with each of its albums. Previous topics have included World War II and the space race, and Every Valley is no exception: on it, the band tells the stories of the Welsh working class and its struggle to survive during the mining industry’s decline and eventual collapse.

Frontman J. Willgoose, Esq finds the topic to still be very relevant now. “[The story is] applicable to industries all over the Western world and possibly beyond,” he said via press release, “in the way that the Industrial Revolution generated these communities that were so dependent on one particular industry, and what happens to that community when you remove that industry from it, and where that leaves us now.”

One aspect of Every Valley is markedly different from Public Service Broadcasting’s previous three efforts: it’s the first album to feature singing. Featured guests include Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura), James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) and Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach).

The track “They Gave me a Lamp” is a collaboration with U.K. instrumental trio Haiku Salut, and tells the story of the role of women’s support groups during the U.K. miner’s strike in the mid-’80s, layered over an uplifting and bright indie-rock soundscape.

Ultimately, the songs on Every Valley address the band’s recently renewed interest in politics in the U.K.

As Willgoose told the Guardian, “That horrible phrase ‘stay in your lane’… this record rails against that and remembers the desire for bettering yourself that came from communities that coalesced around a single industry, when there was more political engagement and the idea of being working-class didn’t mean that you couldn’t appreciate art or poetry.”

Every Valley will be released on July 7. The band will be playing two dates in Canada this fall: on Sept. 16 at Belmont in Montreal and Sept. 17 at the Mod Club in Toronto.

Source : https://www.cbcmusic.ca/first-plays/395/first-play-public-service-broadcasting-every-valle

NPR | 29 June 2017

Review: Public Service Broadcasting, ‘Every Valley’

Stephen Thompson

At first, Public Service Broadcasting’s music scans as a lighthearted gimmick: A stripped-down band — led by a guy billed as « J. Willgoose, Esq. » — performs dramatic instrumentals over voiceovers from old newsreels, documentaries, propaganda and public-service materials. But as the U.K. group prepares to release its third album, it’s striking how sturdy and versatile that sound has become.

Every Valley isn’t Public Service Broadcasting’s first concept album; that would be 2015’s The Race For Space, which revisits in stirring fashion the historical saga referenced in its title. But the band’s thematic palette has grown dramatically on Every Valley, which uses the collapse of the coal-mining industry in South Wales as a backdrop for a poignant and sweeping statement on automation, as well as the vulnerability of workers and the communities they support. The story feels universal — and far more current than some of the old-timey voiceovers might suggest.

Best of all, the band’s sound has expanded to match its artistic ambitions. In « Progress, » Kraftwerkian rhythms, processed vocals and archival samples — « You owe much to these machines » — are set against choruses in which Camera Obscura‘s Tracyanne Campbell coos, « I believe in progress! » In « Turn No More, » Public Service Broadcasting enlists the guest vocals of Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, who gives Every Valley a jolt of seething protest music. « All Out, » on the other hand, bypasses the singing in favor of a few dramatic samples, which sit atop a bed of stormy post-rock drama; the song powerfully evokes the labor unrest at its heart, while also pummeling as hard as the band has ever pummeled before.

Public Service Broadcasting has been fun since the beginning — especially live, when the band performs in the shadows of evocative old filmed footage. On Every Valley, it achieves something even richer and harder to accomplish: relevance.

Source : https://www.npr.org/2017/06/29/532602552/first-listen-public-service-broadcasting-every-valley

CBC Music | 29 juin 2017

Première écoute : Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley

Andrea Gin

Le groupe post-rock britannique Public Service Broadcasting plonge profondément dans la montée et la chute de l’industrie minière au Pays de Galles sur son nouvel album, Every Valley.

En écoutant cette nouvelle musique, on a un peu l’impression d’écouter un documentaire musical. Le groupe instrumental comprend des samples d’images historiques, comme des films de propagande et de vieux films d’actualités, et réussit à donner une petite leçon d’histoire avec chacun de ses albums. Les thèmes précédents ont inclus la seconde guerre mondiale et la course à l’espace, et Every Valley ne fait pas exception : dessus, le groupe raconte les histoires de la classe ouvrière galloise et sa lutte pour survivre durant le déclin de l’industrie minière et finalement son effondrement.

Le leader J. Willgoose, Esq trouve le sujet toujours très pertinent aujourd’hui. “[L’histoire] s’applique aux industries de part et autre le monde occidental et possiblement au-delà”, déclare-t-il via communiqué de presse, “d’une manière que la révolution industrielle a généré ces communautés qui étaient tellement dépendantes d’une industrie en particulier, et ce qui arrive à cette communauté quand tu lui retires cette industrie, et où cela nous laisse aujourd’hui”.

Un aspect de Every Valley est sensiblement différent des trois efforts précédents de Public Service Broadcasting : c’est le premier album à comprendre du chant. Les invités qui apparaissent incluent Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura), James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) et Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach).

Le morceau They Gave Me A Lamp est une collaboration avec le trio instrumental britannique Haiku Salut, et raconte l’histoire du rôle des groupes de soutien des femmes durant la grève des mineurs britanniques au milieu des années 1980, posé sur un paysage sonore de rock-indé exaltant et joyeux.

Au bout du compte, les chansons sur Every Valley abordent l’intérêt récemment renouvelé du groupe pour la politique au Royaume-Uni.

Comme Willgoose a dit au Guardian, “Cette expression horrible, restez dans votre voie… ce disque peste conte ça et se souvient du désir de s’améliorer qui est venu de communautés qui se sont unies autour d’une seule industrie, quand il y avait plus d’engagement politique et l’idée de venir de la classe ouvrière ne voulait pas dire que tu ne pouvais pas apprécier l’art ou la poésie”.

Every Valley sort le 7 juillet. Le groupe jouera deux dates au Canada cet automne : le 16 septembre au Belmont de Montréal et le 17 septembre au Mod Club de Toronto.

Traduction : 1er septembre 2024

NPR | 29 juin 2017

Chronique : Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley

Stephen Thompson

Au début, la musique de Public Service Broadcasting semble être un gimmick léger : un groupe minimaliste – mené par un gars présenté sous le nom de “J. Willgoose, Esq.” – interprète des instrumentales dramatiques sur des voix off extraites de vieux films d’actualités, documentaires, images de propagande et du service public. Mais tandis que le groupe britannique se prépare à sortir son troisième album, il est frappant de voir combien ce son est devenu robuste et versatile.

Every Valley n’est pas le premier album concept de Public Service Broadcasting ; ce serait The Race For Space de 2015, qui revisite de manière émouvante la saga historique de la course à l’espace référencée dans son titre. Mais la palette thématique du groupe s’est dramatiquement agrandie sur Every Valley, qui utilise l’effondrement de l’industrie minière au Sud du Pays de Galles comme toile de fond d’une déclaration poignante et de grande envergure sur l’automatisation, ainsi que la vulnérabilité des ouvriers et des communautés qu’ils soutiennent. L’histoire semble universelle – et bien plus actuelle que certaines vieilles voix off pourraient suggérer.

Encore mieux, le son du groupe s’est agrandi pour aller avec ses ambitions artistiques. Sur Progress, des rythmes à la Kraftwerk, des chants transformés et des samples d’archives – “Vous devez beaucoup à ces machines” – sont installés contre des refrains dans lesquels Tracyanne Campbell de Camera Obscura roucoule, “Je crois au progrès !”. Sur Turn No More, Public Service Broadcasting engage le chant invité de James Dean Bradfield des Manic Street Preachers, qui donné à Every Valley un électrochoc de musique de protestation agitée. All Out, au contraire, contourne le chant en faveur de quelques samples dramatiques, posés sur un lit de drame post-rock tempétueux ; la chanson évoque violemment l’agitation de la main d’œuvre en son cœur, tout en tabassant aussi fortement que le groupe n’a jamais encore fait.

Public Service Broadcasting est marrant depuis le début – surtout sur scène, quand le groupe joue dans les ombres de vieux films évocateurs. Sur Every Valley, il atteint quelque chose d’encore plus riche et difficile à accomplir : la pertinence.

Traduction : 1er septembre 2024

eGigs.co.uk | 30 November 2015

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) began transmitting in 2010 as a collaboration between J.Willgoose, Esq (Samples, guitar) and Wrigglesworth (Drums). What they concocted was a seamless blend of funk and electronica interspersed with voice samples from public information films and other historic broadcasts. They formally introduced themselves in 2013 with the arrival of debut album ‘Inform-Educate-Entertain’. The questions was, could they sustain this unique approach to music and writing?Or would it prove to be of passing interest to the fickle? The release of their second long-player 2015’s ‘The Race for Space’ proved the London duo were nimble enough to consolidate and build upon what they had already achieved. After a busy festival season, tonight they find themselves returning to Cardiff at the start of their first major headline tour.

A stroke of genius is the short animation played on screen just before the gig starts. It’s basically about the horrors that befall a fictitious cartoon character who is shunned by one and all as a result of his anti-social behaviour filming an entire show on his smartphone. His eventual demise is greeted with mass applause.

As PSB take to the stage (unless my mathematics has failed me) the duo have doubled. No doubt to meet the challenges of reproducing the complexities of their recordings in a live environment. Needless to say, they all look the part in a geeky chickinda way. A rip-roaring ‘Signal 30’ is dispatched early in the set thus taking the audience into the palms of their hands. As anyone who has seen PSB live will already know, the band quite entertainingly use voice samples as banter between songs. We get everything from a « hello Cardiff » to lots of « simmer down » which is delivered in jest. As is to be expected, and as the set moves along we hear offerings from their latest album. All are warmly received from the brooding ‘Sputnik’ to the charging ‘Go’ prompting a « sing-along ». The pace quickens further with a rampant ‘Spitfire’, it’s at moments like this they seem untouchable. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but it’s multi-instrumentalist JJ Adams who steals the show with his gregarious performance looking like he is loving (and savouring) every moment.

As is customary with most live acts, after a brief interlude we welcome PSB back to the stage for an encore. As commonplace as encores are, this one feels a very appropriate gesture by the band for all the support the fans have given tonight. PSB ranks swell once more as they are joined by a 3-man brass section to fire up ‘Gagarin’ where I suddenly find myself in the midst of what can best be described as a funkadellic party. It’s a simply joyous moment, and adding to the exuberance on-stage is a dancing astronaut with some very fierce moves! It’s clear that I, the audience and PSB are all on the same frequency. What is also apparent is that Public Service Broadcasting exist in a universe of infinite possibilities, and I look forward to exploring each and every one of them.

Kevin Pick

Source : https://www.egigs.co.uk/reviews/?a=15127

HMV.com | 30 November 2015

Public Service Broadcasting @ Cardiff Y Plas

by Dan

Acclaimed oddballs Public Service Broadcasting rolled through Cardiff earlier this week and we were there to review them…

Who?
The most out-there prog indie-rock samplers Public Service Broadcasting, touring their new album The Race For Space…

Where?
In Cardiff University’s Y Plas.

Was it full? And how were the crowd?
The room itself gets very busy beforehand with everybody trying to get the best view of the stage. PSB aren’t the sort of band for sing-alongs or dancing, however the closest this comes is during Go…

So what was the set like? What did they play?
The set is frequently surprising and always entertaining right from the off. We are treated to a short infomercial regarding the correct concert etiquette in terms of photo taking and talking loudly. This tongue in cheeky tone is common throughout the duration.

Opening with Sputnik from The Race For Space, it’s a slow build but perfectly establishes each member of the band and highlights the progression of their music. In comparison Signal 30 follows which were it not for the samples is the closest thing to straight up rock they go and comes to life even more in its live setting.

Throughout the set we see a multitude of instruments on show from the standard keyboards, bass and guitar to brass sections, flugelhorns and even a banjo on Theme from PSB. The accompanying light show during these songs including Night Mail is very impressive telling a story whilst playing at the same time.

Debuting new song Korolev for the first time tonight feels like a genuine treat along with the best song about “Dutch Ice Skating” you will likely hear! As the audience hear the opening notes of Spitfire from their debut album it gets the biggest cheer of the night so far.

The next comes half way through The Other Side which really tells a story through the sampling and use of stage lighting. As the ship in the story travels around to the dark side of the moon, the stage goes into darkness until some dangling stars from the ceiling light up. As the band come back in again the crowd cheer along with the footage.

Go is the closest the crowd gets to singing along whilst an encore return for Gagarin is the closest everyone gets to a dance. Accompanied by jazzy suits, a grooving brass section as well as a dancing astronaut at the back, it’s great to see the band not taking themselves too seriously and having as much fun as the audience are.

Did they put on much of a show?
The light show is very impressive accompanied by some screens at the back showing the footage which accommodates the music. Each of the band members are characters in themselves bringing a sense of humour to proceedings by throwing themselves into it.

Any good between song banter?
The band themselves go under their own pseudonyms so there is no actual verbal communication with the crowd. Yet frontman J. Willgoose Esq communicates to the crowd through his computer which really maintains their sense of humour and fun that they have with everybody.

What was the highlight of the set?
New single Korolev stands out from the rest particularly when a brass section get involved and takes it up another gear.

Where can I catch them next?
The tour seens them visiting London with next year arriving at Leeds, Edinburgh and Liverpool. They are also playing a massive show with the Manic Street Preachers in Swansea’s Liberty Stadium over the summer.

Wales Online – 27 November 2015

Public Service Broadcasting performed their unique :duties with foot-tapping wizardry

Electronic wizards Public Service Broadcasting had Cardiff Union’s Y Plas bouncing!

★★★★☆

By Tony Woolway

To the uninitiated, Public Service Broadcasting can appear a bit of an enigma.

They are certainly not your regular band, in that they don’t have a singer per se, preferring to use an odd combination of old newsreel footage, public information films, as their name would suggest, plus a whole load of geeky weirdness all thrown together to enhance a quite diverse electronic mishmash of technology .

Comprising the intriguingly named J. Willgoose, Esq, guitar and keyboards and Wrigglesworth, drums, this London-based duo have created a fairly unique sound and look that is both innovating and inspirational with their merging of the old and the very new.

It was a treat to see a banjo and a flugelhorn alongside an array of keyboard wizardry and it was this contrast and eclectic mix that both dazzled and amazed.

Aaided and abetted by the occasional brass section and the talented J F Abraham on bass, keyboards, percussion and the previously mentioned flugelhorn plus Mr B in charge of the equally impressive visuals of a mostly bygone age, giving the evening a creaky fifties feel.

With the only interaction verbally between the band and audience being a sampled Stephen Hawking-like computer generated voice triggered by a pad, the band certainly played up to their image but with their tongues firmly in their cheeks.

Their swotty appearance proving deceptive one as they as they set about creating a tasty brew of foot-tapping funk, pop electronica.

From their chilled intro into a pulsating Sputnik it was pretty rousing stuff played in a good-humour that delighted the packed crowd, with Go! From their latest offering The Race For Space keeping the momentum going and the crowd bouncing.

Though it was Everest, near the end, with stark black and white images of Hillary and Tenzing complementing the sweeping music perfectly that provided the evening’s highlight and in true pioneering fashion, a flag firmly placed on a musical peak.

Source : https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/public-service-broadcasting-performed-unique-10512446

South Wales Argus | 27 November 2015

Public Service Broadcasting – Cardiff University Student Union

By Steven Prince

IT was fitting that Public Service Broadcasting chose to make their Welsh return to Cardiff University’s student union on Thursday.

Music which aims to teach lessons of the past through modern dexterity was warmly received by the crowd – raucous in their reverence – of the conceptual band.

The London duo launched their UK tour, which has been truncated due to personal reasons, in style – bringing their signature audio-visual transmissions to the Welsh capital.

Consisting of multi-instrumentalist J. Willgoose Esq., and drummer-cum-percussionist Wrigglesworth, a musical cavalcade of differing genres ensued – as well as themes.

The most recent album, The Race for Space, understandably covers humankind’s assent to the stars but the pair are not afraid to push the boundaries of time as well as space.

Historical moments featured prominently throughout the performances, from the delivery of mail on steam trains to the stiff upper lip shown by Britain during the Blitz to Dutch long-distance speed skating.

What is most enjoyable about the cacophony of lights and sounds is the variety in the performance – a fusion of synths, banjos and archive footage with the staple drums and guitar of modern music.

The pair, akin to two history teachers found marooned in the music department of any secondary school, are a force to be reckoned with due to the avenues open to their music

Source : https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/leisure/reviews/14109167.display/

The Arts Desk | 29 juin 2017

CD : Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley

Le troisième album de PSB vire trop vers l’infotainment

Guy Oddy

Every Valley est le deuxième album studio de Public Service Broadcasting depuis Inform-Educate-Entertain de 2013, et comme ses prédécesseurs, c’est un voyage nostalgique vers le passé pas si récent que cela avec une toile de fond lourdement éléctronique et un sac plein de samples choisis de la bibliothèque du British Film Institute.

Tandis que J Willgoose Esq et Wrigglesworth ont pu être inspirés par les chemins de fer à vapeur et la course à l’espace sur les disques précédents, Every Valley voit le duo londonien prendre la mort de l’inductrie du charbon dans le Sud du Pays de Galles et son impact social comme source. Si cette terminologie sonne un peu sèche et académique, elle reflète l’ambiance de l’album, qui semble au bout du compte comme de “l’infotainment” valide avec de la musique que les saveurs electronica-trance-krautrock habituelles de Public Service Broadcasting.

Pour les premiers morceaux, Every Valley n’est pas surprenant pour les auditeurs de longue date de l’attaque particulière de Public Service Broadcasting sur l’idée de l’album concept. Mais au fur et à mesure, J Willgoose Esq et Wrigglesworth commençent à introduire des changements à leur son en incorporant des chanteurs invités comme Tracyanne Campbell, Lisa Jen Brown et James Dean Bradfield des Manic Street Preachers. Tandis que cela fonctionne sur la pop à la Goldfrapp de Progress et le duo anglo-gallois de You + Me, Turn No More semble être une opportunité perdue. Au lieu de sortir de sa zone de confort et d’essayer quelque chose de différent, Bradfield semble interpréter de manière terne un morceau de rock assez standard qui fait sonner ses hôtes comme son propre groupe.

Alors que Every Valley peut être un hymne attachant à l’idée de la “communauté”, il y a aussi un sentiment qu’il romantise un emploi qui était sale, dangereux et, dans plus de cas que possible, mortel pour tous ceux sur le front (littéral) de taille. De même, il ne fait pas attention aux retombées environnementales de l’industrie du charbon et semble par conséquent légèrement peu satisfaisant dans son échec à raconter plus que cette partie de cette histoire particulière.

★★☆☆☆

Traduction : 24 février 2024

The Arts Desk | 29 June 2017

CD: Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley

PSB’s third veers too close towards infotainment for comfort

Guy Oddy

Every Valley is Public Service Broadcasting’s second studio album since 2013’s Inform – Educate – Entertain, and like its predecessors, it’s a nostalgic trip to the not-too-recent past with an electronica-heavy backing and a bag full of samples culled from the spoken word library of the British Film Institute.

While J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth may have been inspired by steam-powered railways and the space race on previous discs, Every Valley sees the London duo take on the death of the coal industry in South Wales and its social impact as their source material. If this terminology sounds all a bit dry and academic, it reflects the ambience of the album, which ultimately comes across as worthy “infotainment” with tunes rather than Public Service Broadcasting’s usual electronica-trance-krautrock flavours.

For the first few tracks, however, Every Valley holds no surprises for long-time listeners of Public Service Broadcasting’s own particular take on the concept album idea. But as things unfold, J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth begin to introduce some changes to their sound by bringing in guest vocalists like Tracyanne Campbell, Lisa Jen Brown and Manic Street Preacher’s James Dean Bradfield. While this works on the poppy Goldfrapp-like “Progress” and the folkie bilingual Welsh-English duet “You + Me”, “Turn No More” does seem something of a lost opportunity. Instead of stepping outside his comfort zone and trying something different, Bradfield rather uninspiringly performs a pretty straight-forward rock number that just makes his hosts sound like his own band.

While Every Valley can be quite an endearing hymn to the idea of “community” there is a sense that it also romanticises a job that was dirty, dangerous and, in more cases than seem possible, life-shortening or life-ending for those at the (literal) coalface. It similarly pays no attention to the environmental fall-out from the coal industry and consequently feels slightly unsatisfying in its failure to tell more than part of this particular story.

★★☆☆☆

The Arts Desk