that is a great song, fu pfork
― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Thursday, 13 January 2011 12:04 (thirteen years ago) link
I think there's a really interesting push-me-pull-you dichotomy at the heart of BSP, a compulsive attraction to and simultaneous revulsion from modernity and society which is manifested in two very different ways by the two songwriting axes (as plural of axis; not 'hatchet'!). Hamilton seems to be retreating into rural reclusive stargazing blissout idyl, as John says, while Yan & Noble are becoming more socially (if not necessarily politically) and personally direct, rather than hiding behind abstraction / literary references / etc so much.
I've read a couple of interviews with them recently (the Quietus piece and maybe 2 others, actually) and 'entertainment' has been a key word in all of them.
Mentioning U2 in a BSP review should get you struck off.
― Captain Ostensible (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 13 January 2011 17:05 (thirteen years ago) link
Angles to use when writing up a BSP album review:
1. These guys are too serious.2. I don't "get" their jokes.3. ENGLISH ARCADE FIRE4. If they're gonna put 'Dancehall' in the title, why oh why can't they actually release an album of Jamaican Dancehall/do a cover of Wang Chung's 'Dance Hall Days'.5. They really want to be like U2, really. (Pitchfork only)6. Heh, these guys still use guitars. (Not trying to be Rockist here, but it's a two-way street. These are white indie boys with guitars but they are quite interesting, alright?)
― Marquis Cha Cha Du Ri (King Boy Pato), Sunday, 16 January 2011 11:55 (thirteen years ago) link
I liked (and still do like) this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peo0s75QDR0
If the new one is like it, I will possibly like it as well.
― NYCNative, Sunday, 16 January 2011 12:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Really really liking Valhalla and wondering if I need to go back and give their discography another go. I'd read the enthusiasm for the first do, but never got around to actually hearing them until Do You Like Rock Music?, which didn't excite me a whole lot. I picked up the new one, mainly because I came across a copy mere hours after reading Sick Mouthy's post. Such a fantastic album, but I feel as if I've only scratched the surface. It seems idiotic that people are quick to dismiss this as "U2-lite" or whatever. There are certainly moments that feel like BSP are reaching for the nosebleed seats, but each feels very earned and part of the overall flow of the album rather than a cheap shot. I don't know, this is the first unexpected pleasure of 2011 and I'm wondering where to go next.
― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 1 February 2011 15:57 (thirteen years ago) link
"do" should be "two" in that second sentence
― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 1 February 2011 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
The first album is real good. The song Remember Me in particular.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Apparently it is, since that same youtube was embedded in the last revive!
― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:05 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah but a lot has changed in those two weeks.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Haha didn't mean that to be snarky! Honestly must be a well-loved song. If YouTube wasn't blocked at work I'd be checking it out right now.
― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:12 (thirteen years ago) link
The first album appeared with some really great b-sides, too. 'The Spirit of St. Louis' is kinda mental live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLJl2k4kvPk
― Millsner, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:28 (thirteen years ago) link
I SET TRENDS!!!
― NYCNative, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 19:17 (thirteen years ago) link
Fear of Drowning is another good one from the first record.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 19:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Carrion might be the best of them all, though.
― Millsner, Wednesday, 2 February 2011 03:25 (thirteen years ago) link
The trio of releases (Zeus, Valhalla Dancehall, VIP EP) is still one of my favorite things from this year, very happy they put out every last track from these sessions. Delicate, driving, warm and bombastic, so impressive from one track to the next. How can they possibly follow it up?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 23 September 2011 13:25 (twelve years ago) link
With a book?
― djh, Friday, 23 September 2011 16:52 (twelve years ago) link
What's on the VIP EP?
― djh, Friday, 23 September 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
i think we should ask noted British Sea Power fanatic lexpretend for his thoughts on the subject
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 23 September 2011 16:58 (twelve years ago) link
I think you misspelled sickmouthy.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 23 September 2011 16:59 (twelve years ago) link
The VIP EP:
1 Let The Tears Roll 4:06 2 Lucky Bicycle 2:45 3 kW-h (Glitter) 5:24 4 Shit Factory 2:02 5 Luna (Full Length Version) 9:32
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 23 September 2011 21:46 (twelve years ago) link
Is anything on it as lovely as "Cleaning Out The Rooms"?
― djh, Saturday, 24 September 2011 08:36 (twelve years ago) link
something about white boys with guitars amirite
― sex, doughnuts & rock 'n' roll (King Boy Pato), Saturday, 24 September 2011 10:15 (twelve years ago) link
xp That remains one of the best songs I heard all year.
― 'Main Shop of Love' Gigolo (Le Bateau Ivre), Saturday, 24 September 2011 11:01 (twelve years ago) link
The book's amazing by the way. Very British, natch.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 24 September 2011 14:08 (twelve years ago) link
Are they worth seeing live?
― djh, Saturday, 8 October 2011 20:59 (twelve years ago) link
funny you should ask, I just saw them a couple of weeks ago. I left early and went to the bar but you might have better luck
― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Saturday, 8 October 2011 21:01 (twelve years ago) link
Yes.
― Miles "Tails" Davis (King Boy Pato), Saturday, 8 October 2011 22:24 (twelve years ago) link
Yes. They're usually very good and sometimes mind blowingly so.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 8 October 2011 22:31 (twelve years ago) link
Anyone heard the new monthly demo EPs?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
Wow, missed all those releases.
― djh, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 20:10 (twelve years ago) link
Currently waiting for the remixes and alternate versions collections.
No-one heard any of these?
― djh, Monday, 20 February 2012 18:36 (twelve years ago) link
I have those, some good stuff in there, actually, and I tend to be uninterested in remixes!
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 20 February 2012 18:58 (twelve years ago) link
Fans in South East England pay notice. BSP are playing all of Valhalla Dancehall at the next Klub Guttenberg in Brighton. (I'm playing a disco set later on.)
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Monday, 20 February 2012 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
x-post.
To be honest, hearing different versions of Cleaning Out The Rooms was a big part in the decision to buy. One of my favourite tracks of last year and favourite BSP track (not including the Man of Aran soundtrack).
― djh, Monday, 20 February 2012 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
* Bump *
To order the EPs or not? Dilemma.
― djh, Friday, 24 February 2012 20:10 (twelve years ago) link
First one is sold out. I got the first two the other day - they're hardly critical, second one has more fully developed songs as opposed to the first.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 24 February 2012 22:51 (twelve years ago) link
I take it back, further listens have revealed these to have much charm, especially "Machineries Of Joy".
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:39 (twelve years ago) link
Are they more "Who's In Control" or "Cleaning Out The Rooms"?
[CDs seem to be taking an age to arrive]
― djh, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:51 (twelve years ago) link
Ordered "Do It For Your Mum".
Like that it arrived from a D Wilkinson with one of those Stroke Association return address stickers.
― djh, Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:17 (twelve years ago) link
EP1 is more "Cleaning Out The Rooms" slow burners, EP2 is more uptempo stuff.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 29 February 2012 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
Tonight's Klub Krankenhaus is shaping up to be a belter. Three BSP sets including a Zeus and Valhalla Dancehall one; Bo Ningen and the Girl Brutus dance troupe.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Friday, 2 March 2012 15:04 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, this. Read on a cruise ship with the Open Season Tour bookmark it came with, no less.
EPs are rather good stuff, preferring EP2 'tbqh'.
Miffed that I didn't get on the shortlist of their animal in a hat contest. Fuckers.
― Putin on the Ritz (King Boy Pato), Friday, 2 March 2012 22:37 (twelve years ago) link
Enjoying the book.
The remixes/alternative versions CDs are patchy but include some good stuff.
― djh, Saturday, 10 March 2012 22:07 (twelve years ago) link
There's a comical device used in the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books where the author will use a (vaguely) unusual word (eg. "precipitation") and then use a page explaining what this means. i'm sometimes reminded of this reading "Do It For Your Mum". there are odd tangents that, for the most part, make it more interesting than a lot of rock books. sometimes though it feels as if wikipedia has been used, particularly when visiting cities.
― djh, Friday, 16 March 2012 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
EP3 just arrived, it's more languid and instrumental, which is to be expected as they're working on a new soundtrack.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 22 March 2012 12:07 (twelve years ago) link
That probably describes my favourite side to BSP.
― djh, Saturday, 24 March 2012 22:52 (twelve years ago) link
Ah man, I think that book is beautiful. So well observed. It is cheeky with language in a really entertaining way: Heroin enthusiast etc.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Sunday, 25 March 2012 14:30 (twelve years ago) link
Absolutely - I liked it a lot, for the most part.
― djh, Sunday, 25 March 2012 16:34 (twelve years ago) link
EP4 continues the monthly parade of releases - more bands should do his! Opening cut is particularly great.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 28 April 2012 01:17 (twelve years ago) link
Currently loving the alternate versions of "Cleaning Out The Rooms".
― djh, Saturday, 28 April 2012 19:53 (twelve years ago) link