British Sea Power

Very keen again.

what's that 11-minute one like [/very much in character]

Find out yourself - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/jan/05/british-sea-power-valhalla-dancehall-exclusive

But anyway, having really liked the debut, loved the second album, and been non-plussed by the last (proper) album, I'm really, really enjoying this, and inspired to go out and get Zeus and Man of Aran.

I suspect you'll love the production and mastering on Man of Aran, at the very least. It's got a disclaimer on the CD about the high dynamic range, FFS.

Aye, I dunno why I didn't get it when it came out.

Just one listen to the new one has allayed my fears that it's the dull side to the stunning "Zeus". They've really hit their peak, hope they come play the US!

Loving this. http://sickmouthy.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/thalassophobia/

Nick, I've enjoyed your writing for years ever since your Soulseeking pieces for Stylus. This was a great article about a great album, expressing things I have a hard time capturing in words. Good on yer!

And, yeah, "Valhalla Dancehall" will easily be in my top 10 (were I to compile one) by the end of the year, doubtless.

the first song (lead gtr and chord progession, at least) definitely owes a lot to pixies' letter to memphis.

Cheers Gerald.

yah this is a lovely record (and nice writeup NS!)

out today and i think i'm going to get this.

good stuff Nick!

Nick, you've pretty much neatly written up how and why to listen to BSP. I was waiting for someone to do that in a very fine fashion. Kthx!

Sea Power were on fire tonight. I hope everyone gets the chance to see them live this year.

Barents Sea, dude

i like this a ton. Cleaning Out The Rooms is p amazing.

the gratuitous u2 slams in reviews of this record are lame

The thing that annoys me most about the reviews of these albums is the false claim that all the songs sound the same, when, for starters Neil (Hamilton) Wilkinson's song writing has veered off into much more cosmic, experimental, introspective pastures new because of his isolation up in Skye (w. Abi Fry) and how it differs to the more rambunctious, hooky material that Scott (Yan) Wilkinson/Martin Noble are writing. And then there's the claim that they're dour... they're like the most fun guitar band ever, imo.

The band has always had a great (if oblique) sense of humour.

P4k describing "Cleaning Out The Rooms" as "turgid" is even more hilarious, though.

that is a great song, fu pfork

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.

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 FIRE
4. 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?)

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.

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.

"do" should be "two" in that second sentence

The first album is real good. The song Remember Me in particular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peo0s75QDR0

Apparently it is, since that same youtube was embedded in the last revive!

Yeah but a lot has changed in those two weeks.

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.

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

I SET TRENDS!!!

Fear of Drowning is another good one from the first record.

Carrion might be the best of them all, though.

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?

With a book?

What's on the VIP EP?

i think we should ask noted British Sea Power fanatic lexpretend for his thoughts on the subject

I think you misspelled sickmouthy.

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

Is anything on it as lovely as "Cleaning Out The Rooms"?

i think we should ask noted British Sea Power fanatic lexpretend for his thoughts on the subject

something about white boys with guitars amirite

xp That remains one of the best songs I heard all year.

The book's amazing by the way. Very British, natch.

Are they worth seeing live?

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

Yes.

Yes. They're usually very good and sometimes mind blowingly so.

Anyone heard the new monthly demo EPs?

Wow, missed all those releases.

Currently waiting for the remixes and alternate versions collections.

No-one heard any of these?