To the left, you'll see the cover for the new album by British Sea Power, one of the most criminally underrated bands today. Being a music critic, it's easy for me to see parallels to other acts, and even to explain to people why their music is clever, accessible and brilliant. But, it's harder for me to say why I am so personally invested in their music.
(Small digression that will somehow fit in):
I'd like to live in England for a few years. Not only because it would just be awesome, but also to see what the differences are in the music industry between a singles-oriented business and an album-based business. We all know that downloads are having a huge effect on the industry. Physical album sales are dropping at a tune of 10-20% per year. Well, for the big guys, at least. As most consumers seem to download particular songs as opposed to entire albums, that must be affecting the singles market in England, no?
Growing up, I've always had a fascination with the US and UK albums and singles charts. Until recently, they seemed miles apart. I couldn't understand why all of US (ha! pun...) were listening to one thing, and all of the them another. Now, with the 'interweb' connecting us all so quickly, it seems that the UK charts are laden with American acts. Is that because it's easier to download British acts in the UK, rather than purchase them? Who knows.
Well, it seems that BSP's album, released a month earlier in the UK, hit #10 upon entry and then, befuddlingly, slipped away. Knowing America's penchant for cartoonish style over substance, Do You Like Rock Music? would never even crack the charts. In fact, the store in which I work only received one copy for the shelves as a new release, as opposed to the boxfuls of discs we got for both Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. (By the way, I think Brightman might be a vampire. She's almost fifty years old and still looks like she's in her late 20's. I think U2 drummer, and also vampire, Larry Mullen, Jr. got to her). But, I digress.
British Sea Power began with a few singles that eventually led to The Decline of British Sea Power. Cheekily, the band prefaced the title with "British Sea Power's Classic," and little did they know how right they were. Songs like "Apologies to Insect Life," "Fear of Drowing," "Carrion" and especially "Remember Me" were and are British indie rock classics. There was an energy to the band that hadn't been seen or heard in decades, thus they garnered many flattering comparisons to Joy Division. Open Season is the follow-up that arrived two years later, again giving us more than its fair share of great songs, including "It Ended on an Oily Stage," "Please Stand Up" and "Oh Larsen B." The magnificent songwriting, lyrical history and energy were still there, but it seemed a bit more refined, the studio album equivalent of leaving the garage for actual venues.
Do You Like Rock Music?, which I reviewed for Treblezine (here), finds BSP three years later, and delivering what is surely their best album to date. I won't go into the music as my review will cover that, but I will comment on overall critical response. For the most part, reviews have been incredibly positive. For a while, whether in the US or UK, it was hard to find a negative review. Well, leave that job to the snobs at Pitchfork and Popmatters, who completely missed the target on what is easily one of the best albums of the year so far. For some reason, there's been a backlash on having an 'arena' sound, unless of course you're Canadian and wear suspenders, I suppose. Well, there's a reason that Arcade Fire and U2 are as good as they are, and it's not because their music is watered down. Give BSP's new one a listen and I think you'll agree.
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