British Sea Power

Not really feeling this from a couple of plays (I'd happily just hear BSP play variations on Man of Aran, mind.) Hoping it will grow on me.

The sleeve seems oddly "could be any ol' indie band", too.

Yeah the same for me. It's a nice album but the magic that made those first three albums so great just isn't there for me this time.

Quite liking this surprisingly. Had rather given up on them but at this moment am finding the new pensive BSP a better proposition than the flag waving incarnation.

I want to do a POX, I think.

North Hanging Rock
Cleaning Out The Rooms
Zeus
Oh Larssen B
The Lonely
Atom
No Lucifer
Fear Of Drowning
Machineries Of Joy
When A Warm Wind Blows Through The Grass

Honourable mentions to Bear, We Are Sound, Remember Me, Like A Honeycomb...

Tried to do it in order but apart from the top two there's not much in it.

No Lucifer
Victorian Ice
Like A Honeycomb
Carrion
Atom
Please Stand Up
Fear of Drowning
It Ended on an Oily Stage
No Need to Cry
The Lonely

The albums

Do You Like Rock Music?
Decline of
Open Season
Machineries Of Joy
Vauxhall

Albums would be...

Open Season
Zeus
Machineries
Vauxhall
Decline
Rock Music

I know Zeus is 'only' an EP, but it's 43 minutes long and it's brilliant.

It definitely earns points for Cleaning and Bear. Love the use of the latter in "From the Sea to the Land Beyond".

I know Zeus is 'only' an EP, but it's 43 minutes long and it's brilliant.

Precisely, and it's that sense of adventure found on it that seems missing from "Machineries Of Joy". I've given the latter a couple of listens and there's about 4 tracks that grab me and the others - not so much. At least yet, I'll give it a chance to grow on me. I'm going to spin the demo EPs again, too, and see how they compare. For what it's worth, the bonus 5 track EP that came with my order has a brilliant how-could-they-leave-this-off track "Facts Not Right".

i like this a TON. they have probably gone in the exactly direction i wanted, although i couldn't claim to have known that was what i wanted until i heard it. more judicious use of volume and noise, less conscious of fostering the 'big venue' sound that i think hurt val dancehall and rock music somewhat. and they seem to have embraced the mid-tempo-y songs that have become a strength of theirs.

Did the "remixes" and "alternate versions" versions of "Machineries" throw up anything interesting?

(The actual album didn't, for me).

Huh, didn't even know they released them. Frankly I listened to the Valhalla mixes and alt versions discs a couple of times and thst's it. The 6 demo EPs for the new album were the real meat.

Wasn't aware of this, either.

Changing gears, the proper CD release of their 'From the Sea to the Land Beyond' soundtrack is gorgeous. It almost plays as an instrumental best-of, with nice sequencing.

The soundtrack really works, doesn't it? It's how I like BSP. Wish I hadn't bought the standalone DVD, mind.

Anyone know BSP sufficiently well to make a track listing of the original titles of the tracks featuring on "From The Sea ..."?

This was harder than expected!

1. From The Sea To The Land Beyond - ?
2. Remarkable Diving Feat - Waving Flags
3. Strange Sports - Something Wicked
4. Heroines Of The Cliff - ?
5. The Guillemot Girls - ?
6. Suffragette Riots - ?
7. Heatwave - ?
8. Melancholy Of The Boot - Spirit of St. Louis?/No Lucifer
9. Be You Mighty Sparrow? - The Land Beyond
10. Berth 24 - Childhood Memories
11. Red Rock Riviera - Cleaning Out The Rooms
12. Coastguard - All In It
13. Perspectives Of Stinky Turner - ?
14. Bonjour Copains - Machineries Of Joy
15. The Wild Highlands - Once More Now
16. Docklands Renewed - A Lovely Day Tomorrow
17. The Islanders - The Land Beyond
18. Heatwave (Lympne Castle Demo)

Many of the tracks are based a single riff or chorus from the original, and there's more new stuff than I remembered.

Oh, 5 is 'Bear'.

Thanks Millsner ... The request was partly so I could go back to specific recent tracks and see if I liked them more now, having heard them in this context.

7 is Baby.

The "Machineries: Alternate Versions" turns out to be mostly instrumental, ranging from straight backing tracks to demos. It plays like a soundtrack version of the album, very atmospheric.

It's nice, isn't it?

Were you tempted by the remixes too?

Much nicer than I expected! I've only listened to the remix album once, it seemed like more of the same actually with only a few really different takes.

But I still much prefer the oomph of Valhalla Dancehall. I still need to listen to the demos EPs back to back with Machineries, maybe that will help me figure out what's missing for me.

Much prefer the alternative versions to the remix cd (though they did also send a copy of the Machineries bonus disc, which was a nice freebie).

NEW BSP PROJECT… INTRODUCING “SEA OF BRASS” !!

Nearly two years in the making, we are pleased to finally announce an exciting new commission for British Sea Power, “Sea of Brass”, which combines BSP live alongside championship 28-piece Brass Bands from all around the UK. Peter Wraight (Matthew Herbert Big Band) has created bespoke brass parts to accompany a selection of BSP songs from BSPs entire catalogue.

We gratefully acknowledge support from Arts Council England, PRS for Music Foundation, and our co-commissioning venues.

Our premiere performance will take place on Thursday 17th July 2014 at Gala Theatre, Durham, as part of Brass: Durham International Festival.

Tickets will go on sale at 5pm on April 2nd 2014 via at www.galadurham.co.uk

^ Barbican, London tickets on sale.

More Brass tour dates ...

http://britishseapower.co.uk/news/606/sea-of-brass

So many people I know whose music taste is similar to mine really like this band, but for some reason I just can't get into them. Maybe I haven't found the right entry point yet? I really liked 'K Hole' off their last album, though.

I got into them quite late - via The Man Of Aran soundtrack - and worked backwards. I definitely don't like everything by them but looking forward to the Barbican show very much indeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0RAdfrQwvo

They grew in my estimation over time. There's definitely something askew about his vocal delivery that takes getting used to.

My favorites are "Do You Like Rock Music" and "Valhalla Dancehall". The "Lovely Day Tomorrow" collaboration with Ecstacy Of St. Theresa is particularly wonderful.

Anyone seen any of the Brass concerts?

Barbican show cancelled tonight due to (slightly unconvincing) power cut.

Still waiting to hear new date ...

Supposedly announcing the new date today/tomorrow, if anyone is hoping to pick up a return ...

24th January.

Sea of Brass gig ... not as good as it needed to be to justify a second lot of train fares etc.

I suppose a show in the Northeast of America is out of the question...

Don't be a bad Bohemian.

good song. am extremely ready for a new bsp album.

new album is good but just good, prob not any better than that. hamilton not really pulling his weight which significantly lowers the ceiling for a sea power album in 2017

Zeus EP still their best release yes good glad we all agree

Tie between Zeus and Man of Aran imho, but the ep is great yes.

MOA great too yes but I'd feel their best release had to have some of their pop sensibility involved

In theory, but all the great albums with the pop sensibility all have their minor weaknesses imho. MOA is a wholly finished concept album, great from start to finish.

(I can't live without ' Cleaning out the Rooms' though tbh)

^ Also my favourite.

With this album, I've found myself a) strangely disinterested in hearing it and b) oddly cynical about the positive reviews I've read.

Yeah it was a shame they had to reuse Cleaning Out The Rooms on the ensuing album because it was obviously the best thing on it and a sign they'd been a bit short of inspiration

lol what. i think just possibly they conceived of the ep after the album was done. maybe they cobbled the album together in the 2 months between the respective releases but i am skeptical

Well then why is Mongk on the EP and Mongk 2 on the album then, u mongk

Well then why is Mongk on the EP and Mongk 2 on the album then, u mongk