“A truly remarkable and applaudable job.” Album Review - Public Service Broadcast #4

Smalltown America (Jetplane Landing's very own record label) have been doing a truly remarkable and applaudable job that's been going largely unnoticed by lots of us folk. They understand it's not easy to get your music out there and heard - especially it would seem if it's any good - so they are putting together CDs featuring many, many varied songs by bands they rate for us lot to get a taster of and then hopefully start supporting. This is number 4.

And it works too. I bought the rather great Lomax LP on the strength of PSB #1 and Distophia were first found tucked amongst the gems too.

They'll always be a mixed bag as that's the nature of them, but that's surely a trait that should be heralded rather than scorned. This time round it's no exception, with this fourth compilation ranging from the kookily electronic Ladytron like Dealership, the gloriously bleeched out Beta Band like Santo El Diablo, the shambolically disfunctional yet rather great Front Face Pancake, the raggedly fierce We Will Be Pilots, the mental outbursts of Hyper Kinako and the almost pop Seedling with their echoes of recent Bis material.

There's some stuff here that i personally can't stand either like the awkward melding of vocal and guitar by Soma and the worryingly sunny-californian Fighting With Wire, but you see thats the beauty? You can have a taste of all this new up and coming material, find a new favourite band and get the added bonus of hearing them about a year before anyone is likely to.

How much does all this cost? a mere £5 from the STA site, at the fantastic looking charity event /STA all-dayer on the 18th September at 93 Feet East or found accompanying JPL on their next (no doubt massive) tour.

There's not enough people out there doing this kind of thing sadly. So whilst someone is, maybe we should all start supporting them.

© To Hell With 2004