Public Service Broadcasting - Elfstedentocht (Parts 1 & 2)

How do you experience music? Do you just listen to it? Or as you take the sounds in do they create visual images for you? Or is it something more instinctive than that – do you FEEL it?

Public Service Broadcasting is a band who operate for us on all three levels. They’re fantastic to listen to; with such varied instrumentation from electronic wizardry to guitar riffs a plenty - not forgetting those unusual vocal samples from old information films. Plus they’re very visual, using old video footage that blends seamlessly with the music both on the internet and in a live setting. But more importantly, as all the best music does, they make us feel something. On Everest they made us feel exhilarated and uplifted, on The War Room EP they made us feel melancholic, somewhat grief stricken and also strangely inspired and on Signal 30 they made us feel like jumping in the car and breaking speed limits (despite the safety briefings on the vocal samples). Let's hope they never use voices from a porn film on one of their songs.

Now J Willgoose, Esq. and Wigglesworth have released 2 new tracks that act in tandem with each other. Once again the combination of what they’re doing makes us feel wonderfully invigorated, only this time also proving that language is no barrier in music.

Elfstedentocht parts 1 and 2 are two very different pieces about a European speed skating event that takes place in the province of Friesland in Northern Holland. With Dutch vocal samples (complete with English translations on You Tube) both tracks have us reaching for our skates and wishing there really was snow and ice outside. Part 1 is Signal 30’s heavier short tempered cousin, all pumping muscles and titanic rock riffs, leaving you feeling gratefully exhausted. Part 2 is a gentler affair, with the visuals that focus on the snowy landscapes. The music is more flowing and almost hallucogenic, reminiscent in places of an indie rock version of Candi Staton’s You Got the Love (check out around 2.50)

Neither Elfstedentocht Parts 1 or 2 can be found on PSB’s debut album Inform Educate Entertain, but if you haven’t heard that yet we highly recommend you skate on over and give that a cool spin as well.

Elfstedentocht Part 1

Elfstedentocht Part 2