The big problem facing Public Access TV is outlined on End of An Era: “They say the kids don’t like rock’n’roll any more,” sings John Eatherly. There’s the rub, because the music on Public Access TV’s first album is about as far from the zeitgeist as you can get. There’s no bedroom R&B auteurism, rather the perfectly captured sound of 1979/80 – this is a band whose wardrobes must be laden with skinny ties and sneakers. But it’s absolutely fantastic: Eatherly’s ear for melody and arrangement – albeit in a very specific way – is impeccable. Evil Disc, palm-muted guitars rolling into a chorus so uplifting it sounds like the ghost of drive-times past, is the best song Tom Petty never wrote; there’s beaty garage pop on In Love and Alone and Remember. The pace slows only for Careful, an Emitt Rhodesesque waltz-time ballad. Those kids who do still like rock’n’roll should snap it up.
