Review: Public Domain Resource – 'Six Years'

PUBLIC DOMAIN RESOURCE
'Six Years'
SPACE RACE RECORDS

The Italian duo of Public Domain Resource return with their sophomore offering in the form of 'Six Years'. Formed in 2012, their début album, last year's 'Dead Surface', was a promising one that comprised of a complex mix of 80s synthpop with 90s ebm that was both dance-friendly and intelligent in its construction. The band's second album looks to build on this base and establish their sound as the thinking man's electronics.

The album follows a similar formula to their début with the primary influences taken from the synthpop and ebm of the 80s and 90s, though this time we see some classical flourishes, and some harder dance elements introduced.

Songs such as 'Das Boot', 'Cold Lightning', 'Kill Rolf, Kill!', 'Our Widows', 'The Rift', and 'Bombs Instead Of Songs' give the album enough dance appeal to see the band gain some ground in the club scene. While the likes of 'White Cloud', 'Warm Frost', 'The Sergeant And The Snow', 'Irish Soldier' and 'The Breath – Kyoshi's Return To Hiroshima' add a more complex and enticing listening experience that will play well live as well as for more intimate consumption.

The production once again is strong and not your typical dance style. It's still polished and well mixed, but the rhythms and vocals are not always the most prominent which gives the album a much more personal feel. The vocals may still sound a little too low in the mix in a few places though, which is a shame as this can occasionally dull their impact, but with an album that demands you actively listen to it this isn't a huge bone of contention.

The band build on the promise of their début effectively by keeping their interesting use of the sometimes jarring beats mixed with the highly addictive melodies front and centre to their sound and subtly continuing to expand their palette at the same time. The duo are great song writers and have grown more accessible in their style with this release. Hopefully this trend will continue onto album number three and see the name of the band gain more traction.

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Review: Public Domain Resource – 'Dead Surface'

PUBLIC DOMAIN RESOURCE 

'Dead Surface' 

SPACE RACE RECORDS 

Italian electro duo Public Domain Resource are a new name in the scene, but with their début full-length release 'Dead Surface' they're intent on making sure that you won't forget them in a hurry. Blending 80s synthpop with 90s ebm, the band is very dance orientated, but with a good grasp of sing-a-long lyrics that make sure their tracks have live performance potential.

Songs like 'Ideal', 'Red Lines', 'Fiat Lux', 'Nemesis – The Third Day', 'Mishima San' and 'Your Blood Is Mine' aren't your typical dance tracks though. They have a much more complex flavour to them which is reflected in the rhythms and vocal deliveries that PDR choose to employ. It's a style that harks back to the wonderfully experimental spiritual beginnings of synthpop.

However there are some pretty straight-forward dance tracks to be found, such as in 'Always Prey For Them – The Reich's Station', 'The Hang' and 'The Second Day'. This isn't a bad thing though, as these are the kinds of tracks which will certainly bring the attention of the masses the band's way.

Throw in a few remixes from the likes of TourdeForce and Retrogramme, who respectively bring out the band's Kraftwerk influences and experimental aspects to the fore, and you have a diverse and pleasing range of electronic music on offer here.

The production is pretty steady throughout, with a nice clean and modern style prevailing throughout. However there are a few times when the vocoded vocals get lost in the mix and just sound a little two low. However the sometimes jarring beats mixed with the highly addictive melodies that is central to the band's sound more than make up for any minor indiscretions.

This is a promising début offering from the Italians, which displays a well-rounded and polished sound as well as fundamentally solid song-writing skills. There isn't particularly one big standout track that will make a huge impact on the club scene as a single. However those of discerning tastes will find more than enough to get their teeth into throughout the track list. Expect to hear a lot more from Public Domain Resource in the future.

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