• Band / Artist : Public Symphony
• Genre : Rock / Ambient
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : Band Store
• Buy Digital Download : Band Store – Karma Download – Outbound Music
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

Whenever Pink Floyd is mentioned as a bands influence, my ears prick up and I find myself eager to hear what the band has to offer. This came about when I heard a track of the bands, on a podcast and the sound piqued my interest. Only a matter of days after hearing the band, I saw them featured in an article in the Unsigned Music Magazine. I knew instinctively I’d stumbled on something pretty special.

It’s funny, upon hearing the album, I hear a slight Pink Floyd influence, specifically their latter stuff without Roger Waters, but this is no Pink Floyd knock off. Actually the influence is only passing, as are the other influences that surface like Tangerine Dream and even dare I say it, Vangelis. Admittedly, vocally I’d say the lead singer Dobs, does have a voice with a passing resemblance to David Gilmour, but a much younger version.

The album opens with the ethereal “Wings” and gives a taster of the sound yet to come. The second track and in fact the first single release, “Stronger” is a much more radio friendly tune, with a great tune and effortless lyrics. I have to say, my favorite tracks on the album would have to be “Stronger”, “Breakthrough” and “Children of the Heatwave” with it’s funky groove, which is a pretty radical departure from the rest of the album, but it nestles in there nicely.

The production throughout the album is first class, with a wonderful layer of sounds. The vocals are very distinctive, without being overpowering and work really well. This is a definite album, to listen to through headphones, so you get the full effect.

Conclusion : Such a great first offering from Public Symphony and hopefully not their last. I’d love to see what they could do with a concept album, in the same vein of Dark Side of the Moon, but maybe that’s just me showing my age.