Overall, ‘The Race For Space’ is an understated album. It
bypasses the obvious neon sci-fi approach for a more reflective
take on the subject. Even the mastering of the record itself is
restrained.
“It’s not ludicrously loud, not a square wave assaulting you for
45 minutes,” explains Willgoose. “That just tires your ears and
I didn’t want it to be like that. You want there to be a reason
to come back to the album. I was thinking about Radiohead’s
‘Kid A’, in the texture of it as much as anything else, and I was
trying to get somewhere towards that.”
specs, the general air of the Enigma code breaker – certainly
lends itself to dressing up.
Thinking about it, it’s all rather prog rock, isn’t it? In a
knowing, de-contextualised (so without the long hair, Roger
Dean artwork and horrible solos) and 21st century way, that is.
“I’m not a fan of 70s prog,” declares Willgoose. “Not even early
Genesis, which might be widely accepted, I suppose. Definitely
nothing with flutes on. Concept albums always used to terrify
me a bit, and we’ve ended up making at least one, probably
two. It’s a very strange situation to find yourself in.
He remains nervous about the album’s reception, though.
“I’d be quite upset if the people we’ve brought with us to this
point suddenly went, ‘This is terrible, you’re idiots’, and walked
away. Deep down, I don’t believe they will. I think the album
is quite good, even if it is possibly not what people expect. But
that’s deliberate. It’s designed to surprise and challenge in a
couple of areas, it’s not designed to be safe.”
Willgoose and Wrigglesworth haven’t yet revealed what
they’re planning for their live show when they tour ‘The Race
For Space’ (“We’re keeping it under our hats, although it will
be space specific”), but the astronaut suits they wear for the
‘Gagarin’ video cost £2,000, so if they’re not employed in
some way then they’re not getting their money’s worth. And
the campy theatricality at the heart of the Public Service
Broadcasting aesthetic – the pseudonyms, the bow tie and
“In terms of the live show, it’s based on bands that I’ve seen
who have put something different into their sets, rather than
the ones where the gig sounds exactly the same as the album
and the presentation’s boring and it feels like you’re supposed
to be grateful for even being in the same room as them. It’s
not a reason to go and spend £30. A lot of it comes from a
formative experience watching The Flaming Lips. That’s more
the performance side of things and it’s a way of compensating
for the fact that we’re not very charismatic people on stage,
we’re not jumping around like Biffy Clyro. It’s about wanting to
put on a good show, wanting to entertain people, and turning
your weaknesses into strengths.”
‘The Race For Space’ is released on Test Card Recordings