British Sea Power | ||
| Allmusic Biography : A sextet from Natland, Cumbria, England, British Sea Power are a rather conceptual indie band -- compared more than once to Joy Division and the Cure -- whose music incorporates elements of art rock and post-rock experimentalism. The group was formed in 2000 by brothers Yan Scott Wilkinson (vocals and guitar) and Neil Hamilton Wilkinson (vocals, guitar, and bass), who teamed up with a longtime friend, drummer Matthew Wood. When Yan enrolled at the University of Reading, he met like-minded musician Martin Noble, who played guitar and keyboards, and soon they began performing under the name British Air Powers, changing the name to British Sea Power after a song from their early repertoire. Their live shows received notice early on, thanks in no small part to the groups offbeat theatrics and visual flair (the band often wore military uniforms, large stuffed birds, and artificial plants were a big part of their stage set, and a man in a bear costume sometimes joined them on-stage). Rough Trades Geoff Travis was impressed by one of British Sea Powers (literally) wild performances and signed them; by the end of 2001, they had two singles in the racks: "Fear of Drowning" on Golden Chariot and "Remember Me" on Rough Trade. British Sea Power expanded to a five-piece when Eamon Hamilton of Brakes was recruited to play keyboards with the band; he was also known to pick up a bass drum and charge into the audience when the spirit moved him. The group released its critically acclaimed debut, The Decline of British Sea Power, in 2003. Open Season arrived in 2005, but the following year, Hamilton left the group to concentrate on Brakes, while two musicians joined the lineup, Abi Fry on viola and Phil Sumner on keyboards, cornet, and guitar. In 2008, the expanded lineup recorded the eccentric but accessible Do You Like Rock Music?, then followed it with an unusual project, lending their signature post-punk atmospherics to director Robert Flahertys bleak 1934 film Man of Aran, composing a complete soundtrack for the movie that was released on DVD, as well as performing the score in its entirety at a number of screenings. In 2010, the band unleashed the seven-track EP Zeus, followed in 2011 by their fourth full-length outing, Valhalla Dancehall. Machineries of Joy, inspired by a 1964 collection of short stories of the same name by Ray Bradbury, arrived in 2013. Late the same year, British Sea Power unveiled another film score, penning the soundtrack for Penny Woolcocks documentary From the Sea to the Land Beyond. In 2015, British Sea Power reissued The Decline of British Sea Power through their own Golden Chariot label; it appeared in two expanded editions, one featuring a bonus disc of rare tracks, and another that included a DVD of rare film footage along with the two CDs. That same year, British Sea Power staged a concert tour in which the group was accompanied by a traditional British brass band at each stop. At the end of the tour, the group entered the studio with Fodens Band, a celebrated brass ensemble first formed in Cheshire at the dawn of the 20th century, and re-created the live set from the tour; the sessions were released in October 2015 under the title Sea of Brass. British Sea Power returned in April 2017 with their sixth studio effort, Let the Dancers Inherit the Party. The record was funded in part by a crowdfunding campaign to enable its release, and was recorded in multiple locations, including Clapham, Lympne Castle, Skye, and the bands native Brighton. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 20 Title: The Decline of British Sea Power Released: 2003-06-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 47:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Men Together Today (00:41) 2 Apologies to Insect Life (02:47) 3 Favours in the Beetroot Fields (01:16) 4 Something Wicked (03:12) 5 Remember Me (03:10) 6 Fear of Drowning (04:26) 7 The Lonely (05:12) 8 Carrion (04:06) 9 Blackout (03:48) 10 Lately (13:58) 11 A Wooden Horse (04:37) |
| The Decline of British Sea Power : Allmusic album Review : The first two songs on British Sea Powers remarkable 2003 debut The Decline of British Sea Power, "Men Together Today" and "Apologies to Insect Life," come crashing out of the gate with such a wealth of frantic, chaotic, over the top energy that it comes as something of a surprise when the album shifts into contemplative, more atmospheric form a few tracks down the line. While some bands are eager to create a distinct and lasting image of themselves on their first album, British Sea Power seemed determined to jump from one mood to another, confounding expectations before they had a chance to take root, and if The Decline of British Sea Power is an album possessed by multiple personalities, all of them are compelling and have fascinating stories to tell. "Remember Me" and "Favours in the Beetroot Fields" are dominated by Martin Nobles scrappy, all-over-the-road electric guitar and Scott Wilkinsons breathless vocals, but "Something Wicked" shifts gears into a bigger, grander sound that lives up to the majestic tone of the bands name, and "The Lonely" and "Carrion" are brilliantly crafted, cinematic pop constructed on the grand scale and full of resonant emotions. And the penultimate track, "Lately," is a 14-minute epic that sails from evocative beauty past a valley of noise and havoc into a final squall of madness, in many ways an ideal summation of British Sea Powers strategy on this album. But for a first public gesture, The Decline of British Sea Power is tremendously powerful, and the band is more than up to the challenge of its vast creative ambitions; Scott Wilkinson is a singer of no small talent and range (and his lyrics are clever and often blazingly eccentric in the great British tradition), his brother Neil Hamilton Wilkinson and Martin Noble are multi-instrumentalists with both the skills and the vision to conjure this albums vast sonic palette, and drummer Matthew Wood is strong enough to hold the many pieces firmly in place. The Decline of British Sea Power is a wild musical ride that never stops delivering surprises and rare pleasures, and it was a fittingly remarkable debut from what would become one of the most interesting U.K. acts of their day. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 20 Title: Remember Me Released: 2003-12-17 Tracks: 9 Duration: 06:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Remember Me (?) 2 Salty Water (?) 3 Good Good Boys (?) 4 Moley & Me (?) 5 The Smallest Church in Sussex (?) 6 The Scottish Wildlife Experience (?) 7 Alberts Eyes (?) 8 Carrion (Ridgeway mix) (04:06) 9 Apologies to Insect Life (Russian Rock demo) (02:37) |
 | Album: 3 of 20 Title: Open Season Released: 2005-03-30 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 It Ended on an Oily Stage (04:23) 2 Be Gone (02:52) 3 How Will I Ever Find My Way Home? (03:11) 4 Like a Honeycomb (04:31) 5 Please Stand Up (03:07) 6 North Hanging Rock (04:26) 7 To Get to Sleep (03:16) 8 Victorian Ice (03:26) 9 Oh Larsen B (05:30) 10 The Land Beyond (04:00) 11 True Adventures (07:52) 12 Dont You Want to Be a Bird (02:53) |
| Open Season : Allmusic album Review : British Sea Powers 2003 debut album was a fascinating post-punk-inspired set that sparked artful originality and thought-provoking emotion. Their follow-up, Open Season, does the same but its much more of a streamlined affair. Open Season is virtually a 45-minute waltz of lilting string arrangements and dreamy vocals while acoustic and electric guitars chase the albums quiet golden tones. A theme of the great outdoors makes it a relaxed occasion from start to finish; the 11 songs featured arent a schoolbook interpretation on lifes hardships as much as they are a reflection on the confusion (and love) of nature. Frontman Yan and his brother Hamilton remain charming eccentrics, but this time theyre poetic with their stoic, overcast outlook on modern life. The question Yan seems to ask throughout Open Season is whether or not life is really crap. Commencing with the copper-toned "It Ended on an Oily Stage," Yan softly croons, "We found God in a parking lot." He ponders whether the experience was actually real, and if it has ever happened to anyone. "How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?," an emotional seesaw of crunchy guitars and sheeting percussion, is oddly comfortable with the albums continuous mental inquisitions. The bird echoes of "Please Stand Up" match the ice-capped perils of "Oh Larsen B," maintaining the albums rich affections. Some might think that the five Cumbrian intellectuals have made their shining pop moment with this record despite British Sea Power making it quite obvious on The Decline of... that theyre anything but a pop band. British Sea Powers smart approach on Open Season showcases a band in progress. This album feels alive and breathes honesty. Such an impression once again makes way for British Sea Power to stand apart from their counterparts (Doves, Coldplay, South). | ||
 | Album: 4 of 20 Title: Do You Like Rock Music? Released: 2008-01-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 All in It (02:11) 2 Lights Out for Darker Skies (06:36) 3 No Lucifer (03:27) 4 Waving Flags (04:07) 5 Canvey Island (03:41) 6 Down on the Ground (04:23) 7 A Trip Out (03:16) 8 The Great Skua (04:35) 9 Atom (05:38) 10 No Need to Cry (03:43) 11 Open the Door (04:56) 12 We Close Our Eyes (08:04) |
| Do You Like Rock Music? : Allmusic album Review : On 2005s Open Season, British Sea Power traded in some of the chilly post-rock angst that fueled their 2003 debut with a more streamlined, radio-ready approach that left some listeners yearning for the lo-fi majesty of songs like "Carrion" and "Fear of Drowning." Those tunes were still there, but they demanded repeated spins before revealing their fruits, a tactic that the stoic Cumbria, England, quartet employs again -- but with far more breathtaking results -- on its third full-length, Do You Like Rock Music? Tapping the collective talents of three producers -- Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), Graham Sutton (Jarvis Cocker), and Efrim Menuck (Godspeed You Black Emperor!) -- in numerous locations (Canada, Cornwall, and the Czech Republic, respectively), DYLRM should be a mess, but the band has crafted a wintry, nuanced, and bold collection of epic songs that integrate the sweeping theatricality of Arcade Fire-era indie rock without all of the insularity. This is music made for people, not a person. The sound effects, choral vocals, strings, and feedback that populate DYLRM feel organic and necessary rather than just pasted in for dramas sake. There has always been a sort of rough-hewn sepia-tone unity to BSP songs, and that odd, inclusive wartime fervor permeates each track, from the rousing immigration anthem "Waving Flags" to the rallying, Blur-inspired "No Lucifer" to the sister tracks "All in It" and "Close Our Eyes" that serve as the records bookends. Even the more meandering pieces like "Atom" and the instrumental "Great Skua" feel like steampunk soundtracks for polar exploration, a notion that looks weird in print but makes a whole lot of sense through a pair of headphones, a set of vintage basement speakers, or the inside of a freighter as it disappears into the bowels of the Arctic Ocean. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 20 Title: Man of Aran Released: 2009-05-17 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:13:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Man of Aran (03:40) 2 The South Sound (11:33) 3 Come Wander With Me (04:12) 4 Tiger King (05:17) 5 The Currach (02:11) 6 Boy Vertiginous (05:17) 7 Spearing the Sunfish (11:44) 8 Conneely of the West (04:21) 9 The North Sound (04:56) 10 Woman of Aran (04:36) 11 It Comes Back Again (11:14) 12 No Man Is an Archipelago (04:49) |
| Man of Aran : Allmusic album Review : Man of Aran, a 1934 docu-drama that chronicled the difficult daily lives of the inhabitants of Western Irelands remote Aran Islands, boasts all of the elements (wind, water, sky, and barren landscapes) that make a successful British Sea Power song, so its no revelation that the bands soundtrack for the film fits like a pair of weather-beaten oars in a pair of equally ancient hands. The direct antithesis of 2008s stadium ready Do You Like Rock Music?, the largely instrumental Man of Aran (only the folksy "Come Wander with Me," a cover culled from an obscure 1964 Twilight Zone episode, features vocals) unfolds like a wave in the middle of the ocean with its sights set on a rocky shore. With the main melody of Rock Musics "The Great Skua" as its backbone, British Sea Powers penchant for slow-building post-rock vistas and reverb-drenched bursts of guitar, trumpet, and violin has reached its logical crescendo. While not as awe-inspiring as it yearns to be, Man of Aran deftly fuses the imagery of the open water to the sound it makes when dripping out of a vintage tube amplifier. On its own, listeners may be lulled to the chilly deeps of sleep, but paired with the accompanying DVD, theyll be wiping the salt spray from their brows and pulling long rows of kelp out of their teeth. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 20 Title: Zeus E.P. Released: 2010-10-04 Tracks: 8 Duration: 42:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Zeus (07:02) 2 Cleaning Out the Rooms (07:11) 3 Can We Do It? (02:50) 4 Bear (05:56) 5 Pardon My Friends (02:35) 6 Mongk (04:56) 7 kW-h (03:21) 8 Retreat (08:48) |
 | Album: 7 of 20 Title: Valhalla Dancehall: Remixes + Water Tower Released: 2011 Tracks: 9 Duration: 54:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Mongk Extender (Hamilton remix) (05:09) 2 Living Is So Easy (More Than Numbers remix) (09:59) 3 A Lovely Day Tomorrow (Ecstasy of St Theresa remix) (04:34) 4 Once More Now (Hamilton remix) (05:21) 5 Cleaning Out the Rooms (Wandering Horn remix) (06:27) 6 Heavy Water (Noble remix) (03:06) 7 Water Tower (06:34) 8 Retreat (Pressbutton remix) (08:14) 9 Living Is So Easy (Pressbutton remix) (05:03) |
 | Album: 8 of 20 Title: Valhalla Dancehall Released: 2011-01-10 Tracks: 9 Duration: 49:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 We Are Sound (extended version) (05:39) 2 Living Is So Easy (early Graham Sutton mix) (04:54) 3 Mongk (demo) (04:08) 4 Father’s Words (early Bear demo) (05:17) 5 Luna (extended version) (09:28) 6 Thin Black Sail (instrumental version) (02:59) 7 Stunde Null (demo) (02:52) 8 Cleaning Out the Rooms (original instrumental piano demo) (04:45) 9 Once More Now (Graham Sutton mix) (09:38) |
| Valhalla Dancehall : Allmusic album Review : British Sea Powers fourth, proper studio album skillfully navigates the middle ground between 2008’s soaring Do You Like Rock Music? and 2009’s wistful, largely instrumental soundtrack for the 1934 naturalist docudrama Man of Aran. Like all BSP records, Valhalla Dancehall aims for the nosebleed section while remaining oddly detached. The band’s penchant for crafting stadium-sized epics without any real hooks was nearly obliterated by 2008’s brilliant “Waving Flags,” which could have elicited goose bumps from a cadaver, but outside of the infectious, Big Country-inspired opening cut “Who’s in Control?,” Valhalla Dancehall remains firmly rooted in the formless, Arctic grandeur that has defined the band throughout the decade. Angular, post-punk romps like “Thin Black Sail” and “Stunde Null” echo the raw power of the group’s 2003 debut, while the slow burn of “Georgie Ray,” “Baby,” and “Cleaning Out the Rooms,” the latter of which appeared on the 2010 EP Zeus, reflect the pastoral Sussex and Isle of Skye environments from which they were hatched. Birders and naturalists looking for the soundtrack to their next big expedition have no greater ally than this Cumbria-born collective. They have whittled and honed their sound so decisively (even new elements like electronics and samples feel like they’ve been on the palette for years) that their very name can be used as an adjective (British Sea Power-esque). That said, introducing a few new colors to the canvas might help with recruitment, or better yet, convince the current troops that a fifth tour is not only imminent, but necessary. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 20 Title: EP1 Released: 2012-01-06 Tracks: 5 Duration: 21:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 French Pornographic Novel (04:36) 2 Lullaby for What You Are (03:23) 3 Baby Grey (04:21) 4 A Light Above Descending (04:56) 5 Fiery (03:42) |
 | Album: 10 of 20 Title: EP2 Released: 2012-02-01 Tracks: 5 Duration: 23:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Things Have a Way of Working Out (03:52) 2 Up Against It (03:03) 3 Loving Animals (08:01) 4 Machineries of Joy (05:41) 5 Motorway South (03:19) |
 | Album: 11 of 20 Title: EP3 Released: 2012-03-26 Tracks: 5 Duration: 23:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 K Hole (04:16) 2 What You Need the Most (04:39) 3 When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass (07:54) 4 Brand New Century (03:57) 5 Evening Will Come We Will Sew the Blue Sail (02:51) |
 | Album: 12 of 20 Title: EP4 Released: 2012-04-06 Tracks: 5 Duration: 20:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Facts Not Right (05:53) 2 Fingertips (04:47) 3 Spring Has Sprung (03:59) 4 Monsters of Sunderland (03:09) 5 To the Show (03:01) |
 | Album: 13 of 20 Title: EP5 Released: 2012-05-11 Tracks: 6 Duration: 22:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow (03:32) 2 Wishful Thinking (04:10) 3 Radio Goddard (04:22) 4 Did Your Recognise Yourself? (04:38) 5 Scafell Hotel (02:40) 6 Wishful Thinking (bonus mix) (03:35) |
 | Album: 14 of 20 Title: EP6 Released: 2012-06-01 Tracks: 7 Duration: 31:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Warzone (03:32) 2 Sausage Roll? (05:23) 3 Dance Party (04:56) 4 Beautiful Fountains (03:04) 5 Hail Holy Queen (03:36) 6 Chrysanthemum (04:14) 7 Unto the End (06:12) |
 | Album: 15 of 20 Title: Re-Joys Machineries of Joy Remix CD Released: 2013 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Monster Mash (Yan mix) (03:46) 2 Spring Has Sprung (Wandering Horn mix) (04:16) 3 Machineries of Joy (Noble mix) (02:15) 4 Warm Wind (Abi mix) (01:59) 5 What You Need the Most (Abi/Hamilton mix) (04:31) 6 Radio Goddard (Abi mix) (02:15) 7 Monsters (Noble mix) (03:48) 8 Lullaby for What You Are (Noble mix) (03:01) 9 K Hole (Yan mix) (04:48) 10 A Light Above Descending (Yan mix) (09:08) 11 What You Need the Most (Yan mix) (07:07) |
 | Album: 16 of 20 Title: Machineries of Joy Released: 2013-04-01 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:02:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Machineries of Joy (06:16) 2 K Hole (03:23) 3 Hail Holy Queen (03:18) 4 Loving Animals (05:08) 5 What You Need the Most (05:40) 6 Monsters of Sunderland (03:09) 7 Spring Has Sprung (03:52) 8 Radio Goddard (03:17) 9 A Light Above Descending (04:09) 10 When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass (04:38) 1 Facts are Right (02:58) 2 Fingertips (04:39) 3 Baby Grey (04:35) 4 Lullaby for What You Are (03:20) 5 Chrysanthemum (04:27) |
| Machineries of Joy : Allmusic album Review : A nod to author Ray Bradburys 1964 short story collection of the same name, British Sea Powers sixth long-player, the measured and oddly comforting Machineries of Joy, finds the bookish, self-mythologizing, and willfully nostalgic yet remarkably buoyant indie rockers doing what they do best: being British Sea Power. Less immediate than 2008’s Do You Like Rock Music? and more in tune with the bands’ pioneer spirit than 2011’s Valhalla Dancehall, Machineries of Joy, as is the case with any BSP album, requires more than a cursory spin to reveal its riches. It all feels so very familiar that even the most immediate cuts, like the twisted, shape-shifting "Loving Animals," the Now Im a Cowboy-era Auteurs-inspired "Radio Goddard," and the manic "K Hole" -- the latter hearkens back to the post-punk fervor of the bands stellar 2003 debut, The Decline of British Sea Power -- feel like theyve been knocking around the BSP universe for ages waiting for the skies to clear and allow them access to the mainland. That said, its an environment that rewards more often than it disappoints, with highlights arriving via the wily, dub-tinged "Monsters of Sunderland," the tastefully melodramatic "What You Need the Most" (the bands first official torch ballad), the dissonant, funereal closer "When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass," and the propulsive, life-affirming title track, all of which occupy the same head space as many of the late authors stories, constantly searching for the sweet spot between magic and melancholy. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 20 Title: From the Sea to the Land Beyond Released: 2013-12-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:13:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 From the Sea to the Land Beyond (05:00) 2 Remarkable Diving Feat (04:18) 3 Strange Sports (03:15) 4 Heroines of the Cliff (04:52) 5 The Guillemot Girls (03:05) 6 Suffragette Riots (03:57) 7 Heatwave (03:44) 8 Melancholy of the Boot (04:22) 9 Be You Mighty Sparrow? (02:13) 10 Berth 24 (04:04) 11 Red Rock Riviera (06:53) 12 Coastguard (04:22) 13 Perspectives of Stinky Turner (04:54) 14 Bonjour Copains (02:57) 15 The Wild Highlands (03:10) 16 Docklands Renewed (05:41) 17 The Islanders (03:07) 18 Heatwave (Lympne Castle demo) (03:45) |
| From the Sea to the Land Beyond : Allmusic album Review : If you were going to make a film about the relationship between the ocean and British culture, choosing the band British Sea Power to do the soundtrack might seem a little too on the nose for some folks, but it turns out director Penny Woolcock knew just what she was doing. British Sea Powers score for Woolcocks From the Sea to the Land Beyond isnt the first time theyve written music for film -- in 2009, they wrote and recorded a new score for Robert J. Flahertys classic (staged) documentary Man of Aran -- and as before, the group reveals a rare gift for building atmosphere and emotional intrigue with its music. While the usual guitars and keyboards play their role in the score, From the Sea to the Land Beyond is frequently punctuated with minimal but effective string and horn arrangements (Abi Frys viola is used to splendid effect), and drummer Matthew Wood is a standout, his bold rhythms interacting beautifully with the frequently stark surfaces of the music. A few of the tracks feature vocals, but most do not, and the instrumentals are eloquent enough to communicate without words, conjuring powerful images of the beauty and forbidding power of the ocean that at once sustains and threatens the people who live near its shore. Dotted with intelligently applied sound effects and bits of newsreel narration, From the Sea to the Land Beyond often recalls Rachels post-rock masterpiece The Sea and the Bells in its evocative impact and thoughtful embrace of elements outside the palette of most rock bands; this isnt rock & roll, but what it is is something very special, and this is the rare film soundtrack that works nearly as well on its own as it does accompanying another artists images. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 20 Title: Happiness Released: 2014-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 21:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The King’s Speech (02:48) 2 Man of Bhutan (02:05) 3 Happiness (02:05) 4 Bhutan Loggers (01:53) 5 Snowfall (00:48) 6 The Peak (05:12) 7 Making Tar (01:17) 8 Car Travel (00:47) 9 Catch the Breeze (02:07) 10 Television (02:16) |
 | Album: 19 of 20 Title: Sea of Brass Released: 2015-04-27 Tracks: 40 Duration: 3:18:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Heavenly Waters (Brass version) (07:13) 2 Once More Now (Brass version) (05:10) 3 Albert’s Eyes (Brass version) (04:06) 4 Atom (Brass version) (06:09) 5 A Light Above Descending (Brass version) (04:37) 6 Machineries of Joy (Brass version) (05:49) 7 When a Warm Wind (Brass version) (04:41) 8 The Great Skua (Brass version) (04:59) 1 Heavenly Waters (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (07:36) 2 A Wooden Horse (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:19) 3 Alberts Eyes (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (04:09) 4 Atom (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (06:12) 5 No Need to Cry (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (03:26) 6 Once More Now (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:16) 7 The Smallest Church in Sussex (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (02:12) 8 Machineries of Joy (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:59) 9 A Light Above Descending (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:03) 10 Lately (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (10:00) 11 Lights Out for Darker Skies (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (07:37) 12 Waving Flags (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (04:23) 13 The Great Skua (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:13) 14 When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (04:57) 1 Waving Flags (Brass-Only orchestral version) (00:26) 2 Lights Out for Darker Skies (Brass version) (07:08) 3 No Need to Cry (Brass version) (03:14) 4 Wooden Horse (Brass version) (05:05) 5 Waving Flags (Brass version) (04:16) 6 Smallest Church (Brass version) (02:06) 7 Lately (Brass version) (09:37) 8 Alberts Eyes (Brass-Only orchestral version) (00:42) 9 Someones Yearning (studio version) (04:13) 10 Once More Now (Brass-Only orchestral version) (01:44) 11 True Adventures (live, All Saints Church, Hove, UK) (06:56) 12 What You Need the Most (live, All Saints Church, Hove, UK) (05:11) 13 Blackout (live, All Saints Church, Hove, UK) (04:34) 14 Bear (live, All Saints Church, Hove, UK) (07:11) 15 Heavenly Waters (Brass-Only orchestral version) (05:59) 16 Waving Flags Two (Brass-Only orchestral version) (02:25) 17 Someones Yearning (live, the Barbican, London, UK) (05:58) 18 The Great Skua (Brass-Only orchestral version) (00:54) |
| Sea of Brass : Allmusic album Review : British Sea Powers signature brand of sepia-toned post-rock has always carried with it a considerable measure of nostalgia, but with Sea of Brass, they may have finally reached official faded wartime postcard status. Released in conjunction with a live DVD of the same name, Sea of Brass sees the East Sussex collective revisiting eight songs from their back catalog and sprucing them up with a full brass orchestra. The studio version of the LP features the Cheshire-based Fodens Band, founded in 1900 thank you very much, while the concert album/DVD, which was filmed at the esteemed London music hall the Barbican, relies on the talents of the Redbridge Brass Band. Weighted toward the groups more meandering, slow to midtempo material, Sea of Brass has more in common with film-related BSP works like Man of Aran and From the Sea to the Land Beyond than it does the nervy post-punk emissions of Decline of British Sea Power or the roaring, stadium-ready indie rock of Do You Like Rock Music? While the overall effect isnt completely sleep-inducing, its far from festive, with only the knotty "Atom" and the propulsive "Machineries of Joy," and to a lesser extent the quietly majestic "Great Skua," boasting enough firepower to cut through the well-meaning torpor of much of the proceedings. The brass in question swells and sways capably throughout, but ultimately feels like window-dressing, never fully delivering the arm hair-raising crescendo that one would expect from an army of cornets, trombones, and euphoniums, though this is mostly the fault of the source material, which ultimately lacks the structural boldness with which to support such finery. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 20 Title: Let the Dancers Inherit the Party Released: 2017-03-31 Tracks: 53 Duration: 3:31:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:29) 2 Bad Bohemian (03:16) 3 International Space Station (04:28) 4 What You’re Doing (03:58) 5 The Voice of Ivy Lee (04:10) 6 Keep On Trying (Sechs Freunde) (04:15) 7 Electrical Kittens (05:07) 8 Saint Jerome (04:35) 9 Praise for Whatever (05:52) 10 Want to Be Free (03:47) 11 Don’t Let the Sun Get in the Way (03:39) 12 Alone Piano (05:11) 1 Intro (demo) (00:20) 2 Bad Bohemian (demo) (03:24) 3 International Space Station (demo) (04:28) 4 What You’re Doing (demo) (04:32) 5 The Voice of Ivy Lee (demo) (04:15) 6 Keep on Trying (Sechs Freunde) (demo) (02:44) 7 Electrical Kittens (demo) (05:04) 8 Saint Jerome (demo) (04:24) 9 Praise for Whatever (demo) (05:47) 10 Want to Be Free (demo) (03:34) 11 Don’t Let the Sun Get in the Way (demo) (04:57) 12 Alone Piano (demo) (05:45) 1 Warsaw Choir Gremlins (01:56) 2 Dog on Dog (03:00) 3 You Sold Me Down the River (04:03) 4 Somewhere (00:58) 5 Eaves (04:18) 6 Manman (02:32) 7 South Westerlies (03:06) 8 Shes a Pretty Bird (03:21) 9 Bonger (02:00) 10 What Youre Doing (radio edit) (03:18) 11 Matches (extended version) (05:35) 12 New New World (05:54) 13 Want to Be Free (remix) (04:00) 14 The Voice of Ivy Lee (Algorithm remix) (04:10) 15 Dont Let the Sun Get in the Way (Ambient mix) (04:36) 16 Bad Bohemian (William Doyle remix) (05:15) 17 Alone Piano (Restoration) (05:23) 1 Intro (Inst) (00:30) 2 Bad Bohemian (Inst) (03:21) 3 International Space Station (Inst) (04:31) 4 What Youre Doing (Inst) (04:00) 5 The Voice of Ivy Lee (Inst) (04:12) 6 Keep on Trying (Sechs Freunde) (Inst) (04:17) 7 Electrical Kittens (Inst) (05:08) 8 Saint Jerome (Inst) (05:33) 9 Praise for Whatever (Inst) (05:54) 10 Want to Be Free (Inst) (03:48) 11 Don’t Let the Sun Get in the Way (Inst) (03:38) 12 Alone Piano (Inst) (05:08) |
| Let the Dancers Inherit the Party : Allmusic album Review : After scoring a documentary on the role of the ocean in English culture and consciousness (2013s From the Sea to the Land Beyond) and collaborating with a traditional U.K. brass band (2015s Sea of Brass), one could have been excused for thinking British Sea Power had gotten out of the business of playing rock & roll. But as part of their formula of periodic stylistic change, theyve circled back around to their trademark variety of U.K. indie rock, and 2017s Let the Dancers Inherit the Party finds them in energetic and engaging form, delivering some of their most purely pleasurable work in years. The title is a fine and witty reflection of the albums balance of pop-infused rock and studied English cool, and most of the time this music finds British Sea Power sounding upbeat, but not so much so that they seem forced or pandering. On "Bad Bohemian," "Dont Let the Sun Get in the Way," and "What Youre Doing," BSPs blend of post-punk and Brit-pop has a playful edge, with the guitars of Martin Noble and Yan Scott Wilkinson ringing out over the melodies, while the dance rhythms of "Keep on Trying (Sechs Freunde)" reveal the bandmembers welcome sense of humor about their relative level of sexiness. British Sea Power learned a lot about the value of atmosphere while working on their more offbeat projects, and theyve been able to incorporate that knowledge into numbers like "The Voice of Ivy Lee," "Praise for Whatever," and the spare but powerful closing piece, "Alone Piano," which spotlights the contributions of Abi Fry on viola and Phil Sumner on keyboards. Throughout Let the Dancers Inherit the Party, British Sea Power deliver music thats full of both passion and intelligence, with their cleverness actually powering the tunes instead of weighing them down. This album incorporates nearly all of the many facets that make British Sea Power memorable, and its their strongest overall effort since Do You Like Rock Music? in 2008. | ||