Castles - Fiction or Truth?

I've been putting off writing about this record for ages because each time I try I can't seem to find the words to describe it. Nothing I can write quite does it justice. Castles are an excellent band and I thoroughly recommend checking them out; huge song after huge song. Just listen to Palm Reader or Followed By a Hundred Rats to see what I'm talking about. In fact, you can probably skip everything below and just go straight to bandcamp; here's a link.

I was introduced to Castles by my friend Hugh - he posted me a cdr with the demos of his band's new songs followed by a copy of Castles' first album, You, the Organ Grinder. There was a note in with the cd that claimed something along the lines of "you'll love Castles, they sound like Taint" (for those who don't know, Taint were one of the finest bands in South Wales and we saw them regularly. It was a sad day when they broke up but their last-ever show was excellent and worth nearly crashing my car in snow for). Both things in that note were true - Castles did sound a bit like Taint and I did love them.

When Castles announced their second album, I pre-ordered immediately and waited eagerly. Some time earlier I'd got a proper copy of You, the Organ Grinder and played it a lot. I'm never quite sure what genre I'd call Castles, but imagine somewhere between metal and really heavy gruff-punk-rock would cover it. It makes for a pretty good style either way. Their second album didn't disappoint - somehow different but in small subtle ways. The song structures are more varied and the Taint comparison is less evident; it's an improvement on something I already thought was pretty excellent.

A few words need to be said about the artwork here: inside the gatefold are pictures of the band romancing their instruments in various way which are just hilarious. It's not the sort of imagery you'd associate with music like this. The half-orange, half-white vinyl looks great too.

Format: 12", gatefold sleeve

Tracks: 10

Cost: £17.50 new

Bought: Band's website

When: 03/12/13

Colour: Half orange, half white

Etching: none

mp3s: no

Public Service Broadcasting - Inform-Educate-Entertain

Over the summer in 2013 I remember seeing the name Public Service Broadcasting getting a lot of hype - lot's of tweets about them and people getting very excited having seen their set at various festivals. I've developed a terrible habit of ignoring that sort of hype assuming the band won't be any good. It's not a good thing, but you generally know whether a band is actually any good by who is telling you they're good. In this case I had unfairly written off Public Service Broadcasting.

Luckily this was to be quickly rectified. In September the Manic Street Preachers were playing some shows in support of their excellent album Rewind the Film and I'd got a ticket to see them in Shepherd's Bush. PSB were supporting and I arrived just as they started. On first glimpse, I thought I'd correctly written them off based solely on their outfits (I am a terrible person) but then they started playing. The only thing I can think of to describe their set that night was that they sounded like early Therapy?, which should be noted is very high praise indeed. There was something industrial sounding to the guitar and drums and the sampling reminded of a few Therapy? songs from back in the day when they sampled a lot. After a song and a half (I needed the extra half to convince me it wasn't just a one-off) I was no longer a cynic but a huge fan.

Early in the next year I finally got round to picking up their debut album, Inform-Educate-Entertain. I had lowered my expectations slightly - that night they'd been my modern-day Therapy? but I knew they were basically an indie band and that the album would probably be toned down a little. I was right, but it's still an incredible record. The impression I had of industrial-sounding guitars was mostly stripped away (except for Signal 30) leaving a cross-over between indie and dance, but it still works (if you try hard, you can still hear those guitars at the end of the title-track too, but more faintly). That does mean that it's a much more crowd-pleasing record and most people I play it to seem to enjoy it. It's hard to not enjoy what they do and they're quirky enough to make them stand out.

The album is basically littered with potential singles (and nearly a third of the songs were). Side A comprises five excellent songs (and one bit of filler) and is pretty faultless. Side B isn't quite as strong (it would have struggled to be) but Everest is still a great song. All in all, a very enjoyable record that I'm very thankful to the Manics for introducing me to.

Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeve
Tracks: 11
Cost: £17 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 25/01/14
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code