Summer listening

The second album, out today, is by Public Service Broadcasting. It's a concept album (as all their albums are), and this time the focus is on the coal mining industry, particularly the Welsh one. It was recorded in the valleys, and there are several guests from Wales on the album. This is a very stylish production, with a real sensibility and sensitivity. The album notes explain decisions that were made about what to include, and what to leave out... Aberfan is respectfully left out, but noted in a list of colliery disasters which form part of the CD booklet, along with graphs of coal production. Social history is included in the form of extracts from publicity and recruitment films which talked of hundreds of years worth of coal left to mine... The mood darkens on 'All Out', and there is a wonderful romantic 'You+Me' before the album closes with the Beaufort Male Choir. A portion of the profits from sales will go to the South Wales Area Miners' Benevolent Fund.

You can stream it in the usual places or buy it from the usual places. There's a review here which gives you a real flavour of the strengths of the album. Superb music and landscape mingling....