On "The Decline Of British Sea Power," the Brighton acts debut album, there is a song called "Something Wicked"- an eerie contortion of atmospheric and obliterated brilliance. With it's tribal beating drum and half-whispered vocals, the listener was treated to something new, something different, something better. "I'm not waiting for you, I'm not waiting for you" billowed Scott Wilkinson- aimed, presumably, one would like to think, at the new wave of mundanity lagging behind in the oppressive music world we've come to know and promptly gotten bored of. Indeed, the title of that song leads us quite aptly into the mix of their latest offering, " Do You Like Rock Music? " a refreshing blend of sing-along anthems in their full-blooded splendor and atmospheric waves of blissful noise.
The attraction, and indeed refreshing quality in BSP's music is their refusal to follow the rudimentary bland standardisation route that too many British Indie acts have taken over the years. Where quite a lot of bands choose to lie static in their own comfortable surroundings, BSP are ambitious to the point where even on first listening, the listener is under no illusions as to what creates the uniquely lovable sound searing through their eardrums- Simply put, they couldn't give a damn whether their sound is accepted by the masses or not, this is what they want to do!. The albums opener "All In It" is a haunting collaboration of a melody obliterated by sheer noise, fueled by a funeral march of sounds, backed up by a slow, yet fantastically harrowing sing-along chorus. And we're off!
Following the opener, we're served a treat with "Lights Out For Darkier Skies". Stuttering into life with a stomping, electrified intro, before gently gliding into an utterly impressive, catchy rock anthem. This is the BSP we've known and come to love- a feeling generously reciprocated by the albums second first and second singles- "Waving Flags" and "Canvey Island" respectively- two songs which make up the true and raw essence of the bands make-up, with their definitive, noisy soundscapes and lush approach to a new and celebrated musical craft.
From then on in, our eyes want more and more, and beautifully, we get just that. "Down On The Ground" is, quite possibly, the albums standout track. Penetrated with lyrical wit and catchy pop-melody, it is, perhaps, the song to break their sound into a larger, warranted audience of potential followers. Thrown quite bizarrely into the mix is the gloomy instrumental "The Great Skua," which, though seemingly sounding out of place given what has come before it, can be seen as a welcome initiation to a more relaxed interval. The rest of the albums takes on the feeling of the fading smoke after the initial apocalypse. Slow, and gently traipsing towards the finish line, "No Need To Cry" wouldn't find itself out of place on Primal Screams "Screamadelica", its beauty lying within the darkness of it's repetitive closing lines.."No need to cry at all, no need to cry at all....". And Before we know it, we're done- its close brought about with the return of fading voices of "All in It".
There is a vibrant air of meticulous eccentricity to the music of British Sea Power. This album is a grand testament to their willingness in offering something wholly different in a musical climate populated by stagnate and unimpressive sounds. To offer a sound that the listener cannot help but find themselves immersed and reveling in , as well as creating a fresh niche of beautiful soundscapes and a generated hope of things to come, is certainly not be scoffed at, but is to be applauded widely.Do we like rock music? after hearing this, we may just have fallen madly in love with it.....
0 comments:
Post a Comment