Inform - Educate - Entertain

The British duo known as Public Service Broadcasting live in the past—way in the past. J Willgoose Esq. (guitar, piano, banjo) and Wrigglesworth (drums) dress in corduroy, button-down shirts, and neckties or bowties. The oddest thing about PSB, though, is the music: compelling motorik grooves carved with guitars, wound-up drums, and keyboards. They're contemporary and au courant, and it’s over these musical tracks that the duo lay vintage sound clips from radio, films, and other media. It’s an utterly arresting combination. The vocal bits feel removed enough from the now to lend the music another dimension. The instrumental tracks alone are great for mind-flexing or dancing, but these ghostly messengers from the past make the music somehow more powerful. From educational films to old newsreels and instructional public address system messages, voices both American and British warn of driving carelessly, express desire, or chirpily announce a “bright new era dawning.” From the groaning faux cello and urgent build-up on the opening title track to the brooding and cinematic “Late Night Final,” Inform—Educate—Entertain indeed manages to live up to its title.