29. Rat Discusses Public Service Broadcasting, The Race for Space

Send us Fan MailYou, Me and An Album travels across the Atlantic for this episode, and then our guest takes us to the moon! This week’s guest is Rat, the guitarist for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Obey Robots, and he delves into Public Service Broadcasting’s The Race for Space. In addition to discussing each track on the album, Rat explains how he became a fan of PSB, which guitarists have influenced his playing, when we can expect Ned’s Atomic Dustbin to play live shows and when we might get to hear the first Obey Robots album.Find Rat on Facebook: ratjnedsRat is also on Twitter: I incorrectly left out the underscore on Rat’s handle when providing it on the show. He is @rat_ned.Al on Twitter: @almelchiorBB and @youmealbum. Be sure to follow the latter account for updates on the show, including announcements of upcoming guests and albums. Rat made a couple of references to PSB’s track, Spitfire. Check out the video for it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u4Md_aXVJEI made a reference to PSB’s new video for People, Let’s Dance. It’s worth taking four minutes to listen to and watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0MTqhf9xPoAnd here is the link to PSB’s performance on the KEXP YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rZNQppYngA&t=1115sI have since found that they have made an even more recent appearance on KEXP, which includes a performance of Go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mScesON6Kx4 0:59 Rat joins the show1:16 Rat has one degree of separation from Public Service Broadcasting2:22 Public Service Broadcasting is not a typical band3:25 When will there be an Obey Robots album?6:55 Ned’s Atomic Dustbin’s tour plans10:34 Which guitarists were inspirations to Rat when he was growing up?12:02 Which music has Rat been enjoying more recently?13:40 Rat is a big fan of The Wonder Stuff14:54 How Rat got into PSB17:31 The specific aspect of PSB’s music that really appeals to Rat18:55 PSB: prog or not prog?19:36 Some of PSB’s venues were as unique as their music Track-by-track breakdown22:49 The Race for Space27:10 Sputnik29:02 Gagarin31:53 Fire in the Cockpit35:00 E.V.A.40:49 The Other Side43:52 Valentina46:23 Go!52:37 Tomorrow 59:51 Why Rat thinks the album needs to be listened to as a whole1:01:23 Rat anticipates that PSB will continue to create great work1:06:33 What does Rat carry over from music he loves into his own music?Outro music is Cut Up by Ned’s Atomic DustbinSupport the show