I saw Public Service Broadcasting supporting the Manics a few years ago and was blown away. I bought a copy of their debut album as soon as I found a copy afterwards and enjoyed it. It was a bit lighter than I remember them playing - that night it was like watching early Therapy?, an influence I could hear on the album but it was not so strong as it was live.
A few months later I found their debut EP in Fopp and decided to pick it up. It's a strong selection of songs and heavier than the album ended up being - the guitars on If War Should Come are particularly crunching and the drumming is great throughout. Spitfire ended up on the album, although either of the first two would have fit equally well.
My criticism of The War Room is something that seems to plague the band increasingly - by having such a strong theme (war, space travel, the Welsh valleys - although I can't judge the new album yet) they lack the variety that the debut album is filled with. The huge mixture of topics on the debut really added a lot to it, and made it much easier to get into. Still, as an EP this works and I like that it's heavier on the guitars than they've been more recently.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 5
Cost: £8 new
Bought: Fopp, London
When: 23/05/14
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
