British Sea Power (new album)

[chocky909]

Heaven 17? Shed 7?

Boston. Mull Historical Society. Prinzhorn Dance School. Arctic Monkeys. London Boys. Texas. Death In Vegas. Japan.

[Don_Preston]

Heaven is a place (rumour has it), and the Shed is a place you can retire to when the kids are pissing you off, probably because they're listening to British Sea Power too loud.

[Anon]

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.

Really? I was listening to it a few weeks ago, and still think it's better than the debut.  I do agree with the criticism of the album being structured identically to Funeral, but it still works incredibly well, and there's nothing on Funeral that even comes close to touching Keep The Car Running, Intervention, Windowsill or the new No Cars Go. 

[Cack Hen]

Neon Bible has moments that make me feel a tad nauseous, Intervention being a good example. It's all a bit sickly and cliched.

Windowsill is just boring.

No Cars Go...hmm, I think the new recording of it is sonically awesome, but the song gets a bit tiring.

Keep The Car Running is decent, as is Ocean of Noise.

The other problem is that lyrically it's a bit of a mess, I know they've hardly been known for penning great lyrics but I consider it an achievement for them if they don't write something cringeworthy.

There's nothing on it with the grace and beauty of Tunnels, nothing as intense as Power Out, and there's certainly no melody as good as Rebellion.

[Anon]

Neon Bible has moments that make me feel a tad nauseous, Intervention being a good example. It's all a bit sickly and cliched.

Windowsill is just boring.

No Cars Go...hmm, I think the new recording of it is sonically awesome, but the song gets a bit tiring.

Keep The Car Running is decent, as is Ocean of Noise.

The other problem is that lyrically it's a bit of a mess, I know they've hardly been known for penning great lyrics but I consider it an achievement for them if they don't write something cringeworthy.

There's nothing on it with the grace and beauty of Tunnels, nothing as intense as Power Out, and there's certainly no melody as good as Rebellion.

Hmm, I'm afraid I can't agree with you there - Windowsill, for example, I consider to be every bit as beautiful, if not more so, than the likes of Tunnels and Crown of Love, while Intervention is (on an emotional level) more powerful to me than Power Out.  Clearly I'm a sucker for a good organ sound!

[hoverdonkey]

I love Antichrist Television Blues, especially the end. One day I will know all the lyrics. Back on topic, I'm hugely impressed by BSP's album. It's an instant grower, in that there are several tracks that I really like already but I know it's going to age very well.

The other two were Architecture in Helsinki and I'm from Barcelona by the way

[jaydee81]

Oh dear

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7209121.stm

[non capisco]

The gig at Koko on Thursday was marvellous. Nice to see the cornet player's previous accident hasn't instilled a sense of health and safety in the band, as during 'Rock In A' the guitarist was clambering about all over the shop. The appearance of the giant bear was hugely cheering as well, I'd wondered if they'd got rid of him.

With 'No Lucifer' they knew exactly what they were doing attaching that "easy, easy" chant to their best song yet. People were shouting it inbetween songs from the start so when it was finally played it felt very celebratory.

[Cack Hen]

They're on Jools Holland right now. Already played Waving Flags and Canvey Island, apparently there's going to be an interview and No Lucifer, too.

To be honest they've fallen a bit flat again like the last time they came on, they just seem so unanimated.

[alan nagsworth]

I really don't like their new album. Looking back, I don't like much of their material bar their singles. With this in mind, I'm waiting for a Greatest Hits before I pay for anything by them.

[Paaaaul]

I thought they were pretty good on Jools, made to look a lot better by a very anaemic Morrissey band. I didn't believe ...International Playboys could be made to sound that dull and lifeless.

[TheWizard]

Anyone off to Roundhouse tonight? Love to see the place full up for them.

[Cack Hen]

YEEAAHHH!!!

SO EXCITED

gonna try and get there ASAP because if you're not 6 to 7 foot and 10 meters from the stage you won't see shit. hate the roundhouse.

[Cack Hen]

i pity the fool that didn't go to that

what can i say, best band making music today. the last 10 minutes was probably some of the greatest shit i've ever seen

[vrailaine]

3 great albums

damaged by the fact that the debut is absolutely amazing

[scarecrow]

their recent Glasgow gig was one of the worst things i've ever seen.

[Cack Hen]

...why?

[scarecrow]

I don't know if it was just too big a venue (I saw them play a blinding gig on the Open Season tour) but they seemed sluggish and lacking in spirit. I really like the last album, but their efforts to replicate its expansiveness just saw them get lost in a load of echo and noise. Plus, they looked completely bored. I thought it was a bad night, but a look at their messageboard indicates that the fans really did like it. They just did absolutely nothing for me at all, it was very strange.

[Cack Hen]

i felt that way about of montreal

but last night was glorious. the warmup act was the london bulgarian choir, they were nice. then the stage got covered in branches and leaves, the epicness of some of the new songs was captured brilliantly, especially on waving flags as the curtain behind the band became transparent to reveal 30 of the bulgarian choir doing the harmony bits. undoubtedly though the peak was when they ended on lately (my favourite BSP song) and then all kinds of greatness went down, noble got the head gear on, climbed the amps and crowd surfed while yan battled a man in a giant bear outfit and hamilton gave the sexy violinist a piggyback riding his bike.

[Marvin]

For a bit of balance, can I say that the last few times I've seen BSP they've been neither good or bad, just entirely mediocre?

I also have ended up really disliking the new album, despite it's sound being one that I initially liked, but having seen the songs live a few times and heard the album more, I just can't shake the feeling that it's incredibly try-hardy. It feels like such a cynical attempt at making an Arcade Fire-style festival-anthem singalong affair, I mean you can just tell when they wrote 'we're all waving flags now', all they were thinking was 'this'll go down well at the festivals'.

I like to think that Glastonbury deliberately put BSP on in a tent where people can't take their flags rather than an outside stage just to piss them off.

I say all this as someone who liked their old live shows and albums a hell of a lot.