British Sea Power (new album)

[Cack Hen]

After their unbelievably amazing debut album, which still remains the second greatest album of the decade for me, they followed it up with Open Season in 2005 - an album met with a lukewarm response, to say the least. I think it's pretty good, but it does suffer from just not being very captivating, especially considering what came before.

But now, here they are again, challenging pretty confidently my third place slot with their new album Do You Like Rock Music?. If you think the title is bad, you should see the album cover. I'm doing my best to lay off the hyperbole and say IT'S THE BEST ALBUM FOR 10 YEARS!! but god I wouldn't be surprised if I feel that way in a few months. They've completely done everything they set out to do with Open Season - huge, huge ethereal soundscapes, electrifying guitar riffs, and melodies so strong they'll melt your ears off. I can't stress how happy this album is making me since it leaked yesterday, I always knew this one would be a return to form from the songs played live and from the Krankenhouse EP...but I didn't expect this. This is almost all I could ever want from music, it's all here, wrapped up neatly and beautifully - the dense, unrelenting noise, the ferocious, adrenaline-pumping energy, it just all makes perfect sense.

I've uploaded the first song, 'All In It' to give you a taster of what to expect. It invites you in and grabs your attention before blasting your fucking face clean off.

All In It

I'll upload one or two more tomorrow if there's interest (but of course you're all tech-savvy enough to go forth and seek out this magnificent joy illegally, right? ;) )

ps. sorry if this is all a bit incoherent or whatever, but I'm extremely tired, yet still somewhat excited from the initial buzz.

[Marvin]

Ooh it's leaked? While I doubt I'll share your rather extreme level of hyperbole, I'd like to give it a listen.

[ProvanFan]

It sure does rock. Exhaustingly so! I love it.

[alan nagsworth]

It sure does rock. Exhaustingly so! I love it.

My god, is that Bunty Hoven in your avatar?

EDIT: oh yeah the thread. this band is pretty good, I'll give this album a blend later.

[ProvanFan]

Aye it's Bunty. I feel a bit of a fraud having it as my avatar as I've forgotten so much of show. I'm not really a fan of Provan either, I'm a big phoney.

[alan nagsworth]

Aye it's Bunty. I feel a bit of a fraud having it as my avatar as I've forgotten so much of show. I'm not really a fan of Provan either, I'm a big phoney.

She hasn't aged a day! And yeah, I don't remember much of it myself. Would love to watch it all again though, Burt Kwok, that hairy bloke who wrote the sex book, Stoufer... ace.

Anyway, British Sea Power, they're good aren't they. I like their guitars. Very... strummy.

[ProvanFan]

Here is Waving Flags:

[youtube=425,350]w2n-7K0Ef6Y[/youtube]

[Marvin]

Listening to the album now, great stuff so far, although with the female backing vocals some of it is VERY Arcade Fire-y.

[Cack Hen]

The Waving Flags video isn't very good, is it? But god, what a song. I can see my enthusiasm isn't going to matched on this, but I wish it would! An album like this has been a long time coming, I'd hate for it to be swept under the radar.

[Backstage With Slowdive]

I always found the singer quite tiresome, and the songs far too blustery. In the end I only really liked the sleeve designs, so I sold all the records off. See also: Bloc Party, Editors, Franz Ferdinand.

[Cack Hen]

Please don't mention Editors in the same breath as BSP, you will break my heart.

[Backstage With Slowdive]

Editors score a half-mark out of ten for me just for doing a cover of French Disko.

The bloke out of Maximo Park gets a quarter-mark for giving them the idea. His band get nothing for being rubbish.

[chocky909]

Much improved in my opinion too. It's like a whole album of 'Apologies To Insect Life' which is probably my favourite track. Open Season was very gentle and predictable whereas this is very brash and dynamic. I'll give it some more listening.

[Anon]

Got hold of this today, and I've been listening to it non-stop - it really is a fantastic album.  Definetely their best album so far - the patch of material from No Lucifer (a massive, fuck-off festival single if I've ever heard one) to Atom in particular is just astonishing.  I was worried at first that the album might have been a little too self-conciously "big" to quite work (this coming from someone who liked Neon Bible and all...), but the pitch of the album is just right: it's a wide-scale album, but its anthemics seem very natural and right.  But yes, I really hope this turns British Sea Power into a household name - they've always been a good band, but now they've got an album this good under their belt, they really deserve greater success.  Should be off with a few friends to see them in Kendal after exams as well, which should be a great gig.

[Mindbear]

Everyone I know that has heard the album shares the same view, it's stunning, they never ever disappoint me this band. I genuinely think they are head and shoulder above a trillion other bands, yet they never seem to get the level of success they deserve. No Lucifer is AMAZING, as is Canvey Island....and just, all of it. I love all of it!

[Anon]

Everyone I know that has heard the album shares the same view, it's stunning, they never ever disappoint me this band. I genuinely think they are head and shoulder above a trillion other bands, yet they never seem to get the level of success they deserve. No Lucifer is AMAZING, as is Canvey Island....and just, all of it. I love all of it!

Yeah, listening to Canvey Island right now, beautiful song.  As I said before, it's exactly the right song for that place of the album too - they just don't put a foot wrong across the entire thing (well, maybe We Close Our Eyes pisses around a little too much, but it's still a nice kind of post-movie, emerging into the light kin of closer.  It works within the album at any rate.).

[Cack Hen]

It is weird that they don't get the success they deserve. This album should be regarded as a classic but it won't.

[Mindbear]

It is weird that they don't get the success they deserve. This album should be regarded as a classic but it won't.

No, it won't I doubt, they're not conventional enough I don't think, the fact that Brakes do better confuses me, because as much as I love Brakes, they're nowhere near as good.

[Anon]

well, maybe We Close Our Eyes pisses around a little too much, but it's still a nice kind of post-movie, emerging into the light kin of closer. 

Actually, scratch that.  Just listened to this track again, and it's lovely...the organ at the 2:40 mark gives my spine the shivers and then some.

God, this really is a fucking good album.  Please, please let this be a success...

[jaydee81]

Ha! Surely you don't want it to be TOO successful that tossers in the street start liking it though...

[Anon]

Ha! Surely you don't want it to be TOO successful that tossers in the street start liking it though...

Perhaps not, but an Arcade Fire level of success (i.e. successful, but not ever present int he same way as, say, the Kaiser Chiefs) would be nice.  That and it's a truly fantastic album that people really do need to hear.

[Mindbear]

It's creeping around just outside the top ten. A good sign no?

[Anon]

Wow, didn't know that - hope it stays that way.  I'm bloody pissed off that Kendal's sold out though, it took until last night for everyone to decide what they were doing.  Hmm, might see if anyone fancies a trip to Leeds...

[jaydee81]

Personally I feel like Arcade Fire's success made me not enjoy their second album.
Seeing as I'm not usually 'first on the scene' when the latest band drops, I often discover a band after they get big, and then begrudge them their own success... such is the paradox.

[Cack Hen]

At the time Neon Bible came out I felt like it met my expectations, but on listening back to more recently, it's a bit weak. I still think Funeral is amazing, though.

[hoverdonkey]

I bought this album today but yet to have a chance to listen to it properly. As for Arcade Fire, Neon Bible obviously lacks the brilliance of Funeral, but it still pisses on most other stuff released last year.

As an uninteresting aside, I downloaded three albums yesterday, all of which were by bands which had place names in their name.

[jaydee81]

Of Montreal!

[hoverdonkey]

There's one

[Don_Preston]

Boards of Canada? Heaven 17? Shed Seven? Spandau Ballet? China Crisis? Asia?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Is it just me, or does Open the Door have the same tune as Nowhere Man by The Beatles?