Albums to watch

The Race For Space

Public Service Broadcasting

The Race For Space

Second album from London duo blending news commentary and NASA clips with electronica, krautrock and synthpop

ADM rating[?]

7.1

Label
Test Card Recordings
UK Release date
23/02/2015
US Release date
24/02/2015
  1. 10.0 |   State

    Most effecting of all is ‘The Other Side’, a lengthy re-telling of Apollo 8’s trip to the dark side of the moon that will have you on the edge of your seat the first time you hear it
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  2. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    This is a beautiful record, which tells a story of ambition, tragedy and triumph using a palette of vintage electronica, swelling strings, ethereal voices and some properly funky drumming
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  3. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Public Service Broadcasting, working with clips from the BFI archives, have reinvented the concept album as a delightful, historically engaged rave-up
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  4. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A multi-faceted, yet cohesive, creation that burnishes anew the golden age of space exploration. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   The Independent

    Richly entertaining, immersive and evocative, orchestrated with fastidious care and feeling
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  6. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Archive samples evoke the wonder and majesty of mankind’s most giant leap, and they’re complemented by finely judged soundscapes
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  7. 7.5 |   The 405

    An album that wonderfully conjures up the cauldron of emotions that came from those first steps out into the great unknown: the dangers, the excitement, the belief that anything is possible
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  8. 7.4 |   Earbuddy

    In a vacuum, sure, thumbs up, but this could have been so much more
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  9. 7.0 |   Uncut

    The sound of two young men gazing heavenwards and dreaming. Print edition only

  10. 7.0 |   The Music

    Arches smoothly between the clean, empty ambience and catchy ‘70s pop-inspired riffs and trills of Space Race nostalgia
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  11. 7.0 |   Clash

    Has its mis-steps, but most importantly it shows that Public Service Broadcasting aren't a one-off novelty act, and that there's mileage in their approach
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  12. 7.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Contrary to their debut, its historical samples and retro stylings combine to substantial effect, lending it greater relevance and meaning than it would have possessed without either element
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  13. 7.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Their latest album is truly listenable without being mind-blowing
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  14. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    The album leaves room for the imagination, layering a spectrum of sustained notes and sound effects that keep the listener in orbit
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  15. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    An interesting exercise in sound collage, but whether you’d want to listen to it more than a few times is debatable
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  16. 6.0 |   Time Out

    PSB have done a stellar job (pun very much intended) of the archive work, and for consistency, depth and atmospheric heft, ‘The Race for Space’ easily one-ups the duo’s fun but patchy debut
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  17. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    The Race for Space is a paradox; compositionally the same, but with a greater sense of occasion and urgency, and for that reason, it feels like a progression, but only a slight one at that
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  18. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    While rightfully allowing the brilliantly executed collection of archival footage of human voices to flourish, its subtlety makes it more conceptual art piece than experimental rocket ride
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  19. 6.0 |   Q

    Gravity isn’t defied here but there is no lack of atmosphere. Print edition only

  20. 6.0 |   DIY

    The result is a rocket-fuelled silver screen roller coaster
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Public Service Broadcasting: The Race For Space

  • Download full album for just £5.49
  • 1. The Race For Space £0.99
  • 2. Sputnik £0.99
  • 3. Gagarin £0.99
  • 4. Fire in the Cockpit £0.99
  • 5. E.V.A. £0.99
  • 6. The Other Side £0.99
  • 7. Valentina (feat. Smoke Fairies) £0.99
  • 8. Go! £0.99
  • 9. Tomorrow £0.99
  • Service provided by 7Digital

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