Public Service Broadcasting - Every Valley (Album Review)
Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Written by Ben Gallivan
Photo: Dan Kendall
Public Service Broadcasting are a rare breed of band. An instrumental group whose work utilises a wide range of subject matter lifted from archived interviews, speeches and (in the case of their live shows) footage of turning points in modern world history, they have cornered a level of commercial appeal usually divorced from such a niche style.
Specialising in the ‘progressive concept album’, both of their full lengths to date have charted well. Released in 2013, ‘Inform – Educate – Entertain’ highlighted technological and exploratory advances in the mid-20th century while 2015’s ‘The Race for Space’ was inspired by the US/Soviet space race. The former just missed the top 20 in the UK, the latter peaked at 11. Which brings us to album three, ‘Every Valley’.
The band’s repeated visits to Wales on tour have no doubt been something of an inspiration for this record, focusing as it does on the rise and decline of the coalfields in the south of the country.
The band's lead songwriter, J Willgoose, Esq., described the premise as an allegory for today's "abandoned and neglected communities across the western world", which have led to a "malignant, cynical and calculating brand of politics”.
Willgoose, along with Wrigglesworth (percussion) and JF Abraham (predominantly bass guitar) have totally immersed themselves in the project, even going as far as to record the album at a miner’s institute in Ebbw Vale, a town in the southeast of Wales that has faced hardships since the demise of the coal and steel industry.
The band went out in the town to talk to residents about their experiences and a number of those soundbites have made it onto the finished product. Other samples have come from the archives and are set to a particularly brooding, orchestral soundtrack.
‘Every Valley’ is predominantly chronological, charting the initial rise of the mines in the mid-1800s and their cruel demise a little over a century later. The musical style has been compared to that of electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, although the instrumentation stretches far beyond the limitations of synths and monotone vocals. One may be forgiven for thinking that this artform would be better presented in a live setting, complete with visuals, but the album stands up for itself in an audio-only format.
A few famous names have been drafted in for the project, namely Camera Obscura’s Traceyanne Campbell on Progress (which announced the album’s existence several months ago) and a particularly emotional turn from Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield on Turn No More, which would not have sounded out of place on the Manics’ most recent LP ‘Futurology’.
The highlight among the collaborations, though, lies with Lisa Jên Brown of 9Bach’s contribution on You + Me, the album’s most melodic (and least sample heavy) offering. The vocal interaction between Brown and Willgoose will warm the coldest of hearts, despite the somewhat sombre subject matter. As concept albums go, ‘Every Valley’ is instantly accessible and an intriguing listen.
Public Service Broadcasting Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri October 13 2017 - CARDIFF Cardiff University Students Union
Sat October 14 2017 - NORWICH Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA
Mon October 16 2017 - MANCHESTER Academy
Tue October 17 2017 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Boiler Shop
Wed October 18 2017 - GLASGOW Barrowland
Thu October 19 2017 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Fri October 20 2017 - COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre
Sat October 21 2017 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Mon October 23 2017 - BRISTOL Colston Hall
Tue October 24 2017 - PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth Pyramids
Wed October 25 2017 - BEXHILL ON SEA De La Warr Pavilion
Thu October 26 2017 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
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