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Two If By Sea: Brit Rock (Re)Invades
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| Brian Dukes, Up & Coming Weekly, Feb. 18, 2004 |
February 18, 2004 |
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British Sea Power is a (duh?) UK-based quintet of youthful and exuberant punk rockers that aren't too much punk and not too much rock - but a perfect mix of the two. Touring now on the strength of their much hyped (deservedly so) breakout debut, entitled The Decline of British Sea Power, the band is poised to invade the U.S. and make converts of us all.
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Wrapping up a UK and US tour with such names as The Flaming Lips, Interpol, Clinic and The Strokes, British Sea Power is gearing up for yet another set of tour dates based on the strength of their second single "Remember Me" and the subsequent video's reception. Composed of Yan, vocals, guitar; Noble, guitar; Hamilton, bass, vocals; Woody, drums; and Eamon, keyboards, British Sea Power is a creative and brilliant group that grabs you by the ears and never lets go.
The intro track, "Men Together Today," is an eclectic choral ditty that sucker punches you when it bleeds into the second track, "Apologies To Insect Life," a fiery slap in the face, and the band doesn't stop there. The band channels The Cure, The Smiths and other Brit rockers all throughout their debut CD, which seems to loom more towards the darker, morose end of things. In particularly, "Fear of Drowning," puts a mood-killing spin on things, but does so in such a way as to keep you joyfully listening the whole while.
When not devoid of light, Decline offers plenty of straight-shooting backside kicking rockers that keeps the CD's mood afloat and safe from drowning in self-pity. Nowhere is this more evident than with the one-two combo punch of "Something Wicked" and "Remember Me," the album's fourth and fifth tracks respectively.
"Blackout," meanwhile is yet another tune that can't be skipped, featuring amazing instrumentation - which can be found in spades all throughout the 13-track Decline. Other tracks not to decline are "Carrion" and the epic-length "Lately," which almost comes off as amazingly pretentious ... but it's not. In fact, Decline is full of intelligent songwriting, something which further endears comparisons to The Smiths. When not enjoying the sheer power of Decline's musicianship, listeners should pause (and replay) every track and simply consume the deliciously well done writing. Decline touches on several larger than life themes and proves that its content is as deep as the sea that British Sea Power are sailing with ease. This type of contagious combination of rich writing and powerful performance is sure to set the tempo for BSP's future success.
Watch out for these guys in the future. British Sea Power is one of those bands that has the awesome potential for Radiohead-like ascendance of the music world. With a sound that mixes punk, funk, garage rock and a few other elements, British Sea Power is a band whose only decline will be of their anonymous status. Pick up The Decline of British Sea Power today or risk being caught unaware of the next great music invasion from our cousins across the Atlantic
-Brian Dukes
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©Up & Coming Magazine 2009
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Gary Williams |
Feb, 23 2004 |
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I couldn't agree more. British Sea Power are a great live band and the debut album really has to be heard to be believed. A true relevation!
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