A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
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British Sea Power Open Season Release Date: 04/26/05 Score: 8.9 out of 10.0 |
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Sophomore albums are always tricky. Going with the whole retro feel, I linked British Sea Power along with the likes of Interpol, The Strokes and friends. Most of these bands released strong debut albums, but their follow-up's had very similar sounds, and lacked a real direction. Though British Sea Power never got the stateside attention The Strokes and Interpol got, this was still a big test for them. Would they fall to the wayside like their older American cousins? Or would they take control of their own futures?
Though I linked British Sea Power with these other bands, they never really fit in. British Sea Power is like the goofy exchange student who wears funny clothes and talks with an accent you can't quite understand, so you just nod and say yes. Live performance-wise, British Sea Power is in another universe. Interpol and The Strokes put on fine live shows, but they are distant and cold. They show up, dresssed in the best velvet suits, played their songs with little to no interaction with the crowd, and leave. British Sea Power wear the top of the line fashion that came out of the trenches of the western front in 1914, helmets and all, decorate their stage like a forest, and dance with plastic pheasants. British Sea Power are much more ambitious than your standard retro band. What they lack in the "we're too cool for school" field, they make up in pure creativity. This is what separates British Sea Power from the rest.
Their debut album was strongly influenced by the post-punk bands of the late 70's and early 80's. It had the sort of wild punk sound, but was contained. For their follow up, British Sea Power went with a more stadium rock sound, filled with guitar hooks, and catchy vocals on every song. The albums opens up with "It Ended on an Oily Stage," a nice little tune that snatches your attention in a hurry. Though there is no standout track, every song will grab you somehow, whether it's with a quick guitar hook, the intriguing lyrics and Yan's vocals (Such as "Victorian Ice" which contains one of the best lines of the year, as Yan spouts "Totally wicked and equally ace") or the infectious bass of Hamilton. A couple of my other favorite tracks are "Please Stand Up," "Oh Larsen B," and the closer "True Adventures," which is what I think they should have named the album. Can you imagine that? True Adventures of British Sea Power.
The question now is, will British Sea Power be the next big thing? And my answer...is no. British Sea Power are just a bit too odd for the general public. Though they may have picked up a powerful stadium sound that we haven't seen since U2 in the mid-80's, at concerts most people are simply just not down with 4 minute openings of a man reading a poem about fox hunting over an organ and string section, stage costumes from World War I, almost painful feedback closing with no encores, and several pheasant beatings throughout the night. I on the other hand, love it.
-Scott Swinford
April 29, 2005
