Three Imaginary Girls - British Sea Power

Do You Like Rock Music?

Erik Gonzalez — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:28:33 +0000

7.7

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00111COHO/wwwthreeimagi-20/

British Sea Power has done an excellent job of very stealthily becoming one of the most interesting bands on the British music scene. I know I sort of just thought of them as an afterthought - one of the many early '00s bands that flourished in the rock revival. You know the types: Feeder, Muse, South, the Libertines, Coldplay, Razorlight, Super Furry Animals, the list could go on and on. Yet, somehow, British Sea Power has been able to keep us listeners interested, and unlike their music brethren, people still get excited to hear them. Do You Like Rock Music? is an album that is all over the place stylistically, but that is a major part of its appeal.

I suppose British Sea Power was always sort of considered to reside in the more cerebral end of Brit Rock, you might possibly consider them the UK equivalent to Canada's Arcade Fire. Sure, the band are showmen, performing in matching uniforms and various stuffed objects on stage with them, but they backed this up with music that as dense and textured as it is catchy. I suppose if you had to pin me down to proclaim the standard-bearer on Do You LIke Rock Music?, it would be "No Lucifer," a song that captures both the post-glam fascination of the band with its root pop sensibilities. The song, on one hand has a bit of that Muse or Blur anthemic feel, but on the other hand is complex with its echoing guitars and drums stitching a cross-hatched rhythm while Hamilton delivers a surprisingly ethereal vocal. You could even argue that they take it up another notch on "Waving Flags," a downright Arcade Fire-like song, delving deep into the Bowie back-catalog. If you're the type to become enraptured with thick drums and swirling melodies, you'll fall for this one hard.

Much of the rest of Do You Like Rock Music? falls around these tent poles. "Down on the Ground" and "Trip Out" are straight up rock and roll, rolling and unstoppable, while the instrumental "Great Skua" shares more with Galaxie 500 or My Bloody Valentine with the low and growling bass and drums that slowly combine as the song builds. "Atom" was previously heard on British Sea Power's Krankenhaus EP in slightly different form. Here we find the band letting the song start off as gentle ballad before letting the doors swing wide open into an all-out rock song. I'm not sure if I like the additional overture to the song, but at least they didn't mess with the throwdown that is the core of the track. However, it is the sidetrips like "Open the Door" that really surprise the listener. Not only does this little pop gem showcase an entirely different side to the band, but you wonder what else they have hiding in there. Sure, it might not be the best song on the album - far from it - but it sure keeps you guessing what British Sea Power might throw at you next.

Do You Like Rock Music? gives you exactly what you might expect from British Sea Power: a lot of rock, some surprising turns of events, and the desire to hear more from the band. The album on the whole is wildly uneven, like a band that just has too many ideas that it doesn't know what to do with them. However, unlike a lot of the bands spawned from the turn of the century, British Sea Power does not seem like a one-trick pony, which is what most music fans want to find in a band in the first place.

Do You Like Rock Music? is an album that is all over the place stylistically, but that is a major part of its appeal.

Krankenhaus? EP

Erik Gonzalez — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:07:28 +0000

7.7

http://www.amazon.com/Krankenhaus-EP/dp/B000X3QE7W/

BSP.jpg

British Sea Power are a little more cerebral than your average Brit Rock band. They’re busy making references to the Spirit of St. Louis and the Larsen B ice shelf, but they’re also making music that shares its inspiration lineage with Joy Division and Echo the the Bunnymen. The Krankenhaus? EP is a teaser for their forthcoming album and it goes along with the bands Fall 2007 tour of the U.S. (well, the eastern states). The 5 song EP is rockin’ from wall to wall, like the Walkmen if they didn’t get so lost in their Dylanesque desire and makes for a great, albeit short, journey.

“Atom Main” is pure Brit Rock, like Muse but with a soul, trying to tackle the confusion of, well, all that science and physics as Yan sings ”I just don’t get it”. The song is chock full o’ crashing drums and guitars, creating a thunderous good time. “Down on the Ground” is a little more restrained, instead taking a bit more of a pop song structure coming off like a more aggressive Rakes song or a little less juvenile Ash track, borrowing a lot from 80’s new wave rock. “Straight Down the Line” is a mellow and filtered pop song while “Hearing Aid” is even more stripped down, like British Sea Power thinking they were channeling Gordon Lightfoot on acid. The EP closes out with the 9+ minute mini-epic “The Pelican – Parts 1 & 2,” which sounds like the sort of song they would burn the venue down with on any live show, ripping and roaring its way through the opening act into the cacophony of musical noises that close the track out.

British Sea Power definitely sound like they have a lot of fun when they record music. Sure, they’re not as downright hook-laden as their brethren Bloc Party or Maxïmo Park, but they seem like they just want to let their music be pure, unadulterated intellectual rock and roll. Krankenhaus? is a great sample of what the band has to come, and it sounds grand.

The 5 song EP is rockin’ from wall to wall ...

Open Season

imaginary stella — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000

8.9

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007Y0978/wwwthreeimagi-20

bsp.jpg

Bowie, Bowie, Bowie.

Open Season, the new release by British Sea Power is audibly influenced by the great glammed one, Ziggy Stardust himself — so much so that I had to catch myself a few times thinking I'd accidentally slipped in the wrong disc when first reviewing this album. But being Bowie, it ain't a bad thing.

The five lads who call my favorite English seaside town (Brighton) home come clean with their style on Open Season, their second full-length release on Rough Trade. Their debut The Decline of British Sea Power had its crooning moments ("Carrion", "Blackout"), but that album was also offset with angular punky numbers juxtaposed with calm, lulling Gregorian chants. Decline... was a tad schizophrenic, even unbalanced. Open Season, however, unifies the band under a subtler facade. On their latest, BSP lose a dash of their bitters. The harsh bite of vinegar that flavored Decline has mellowed into a sweeter variation, like that aged balsamic on your pantry shelf, and it's a flavor to savor.

The acid guitars still occasionally fizz in a wash of feedback and the percussion punches powerfully with impressive metronome-worthy delivery, but as a whole, the unit of BSP is gently restrained. The keys soften the edges. Vocalist Yan, whose tortured vocals painted the tunes peppered with literary and historic references on Decline..., now swoops low to a hushed, smooth lullaby and that unmistakably British croon.

It is the guitars, oh the guitars, that ice the cake and make Open Season the quieter, matured, more adult version of its puckish younger brother, Decline.... There are spacey distortion-infused lines, open sun-drenched swells and gut ripping musical eulogies abounding.

The record may play heavy on melancholia. And what Brit band doesn't? It's likely got to do with the drizzling grey rain and constant highs/lows of tea addiction. But there's also a joyful jaunt to Open Season that propels the album forward like a gleeful schoolboy sporting knickers, a stark white buttoned-up shirt and a tiny tie on the last day of grammar school.

The record as a whole evokes forlorn, longing moments paired with seductively jovial chords-again, a primarily British trait perfected by BSP forefathers The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and Bowie. Tracks like "North Hanging Rock" and "Be Gone" epitomize this melodrama. The comforting "Please Stand Up" feels charmingly heard-before with its sweeping dramatic guitar intro, whispery-hushed vocals, and sadness-into — sunrise new-day melodies. "Be Gone" is so undeniably David Bowie with its layered chorus, soaring vocals and trembling tenor. Though I have held this CD in my possession not yet a full week, I already see myself singing along mightily to the sprightly Smiths-ish "Victorian Lace" come summertime, windows down, driving to the beach with the wind in my hair.

All in all, the tamer BSP have crafted an 11-song stunning follow-up that shrugs at modern inconveniences like the "sophomore slump," instead proffering beautiful, sweeping, epic soundscapes. The band may have existed on the periphery for several years (A fact perhaps not that surprising given the five first-name-only lads' odd penchant for WWI uniforms and stuffed fowl. Lest we forget that this is the group who tote an assortment of flora and fauna — some real, some faux — to the stage for their live gigs.) But with Open Season, the periphery take cover, the college-rock crowd beware and the mainstream radio listeners assemble your armor: BSP is about to aim, fire and quite possibly blow over the modern music landscape.

The record as a whole evokes forlorn, longing moments paired with seductively jovial chords-again, a primarily British trait perfected by BSP forefathers The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and Bowie.

Best of 2003: Your #1 Album Picks of the Year

three imaginary girls — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:00:00 +0000

Although some folks couldn't rank their lists {igChar}... which is fine... you know... if you just can't bear to proclaim to the world, "THIS WAS THE BEST FUCKING ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!" but some of us could. And albums that have such an exclamation bestowed on them deserve a special note. So here they are... the albums that our voters deemed "THE BEST FUCKING ALBUM OF THE YEAR!"

These albums all received at least one #1 vote:

Outkast, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" *
The Postal Service, "Give Up" *
Radiohead, "Hail To The Thief" *
The Strokes, "Room On Fire" *
The White Stripes, "Elephant" *
Wonderful, "God Bless Our Pad" *
Audioslave, "Audioslave"
The Bad Plus "These are the Vistas"
Belle & Sebastian, "Dear Catastrophe Waitress"
British Sea Power, "Decline of British Sea Power"
Broadcast "Haha Sound"
Cat Power, "You Are Free
Coil, "The Key to Joy is Disobedience (limited box set)"
Crooked Fingers, "Red Devil Dawn"
Dead Meadow, "Shivering King and Others"
The Dears, "No Cities Left"
The Decemberists, "Castaways and Cutouts"
The Delgados, "Hate"
The Divorce, "There Will Be Blood Tonight"
The Drive-By Truckers, "Decoration Day"
Eddie Izzard, "Circle (live)"
The Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"
Four Tet, "Rounds"
Holopaw, "Holopaw"
Idlewild, "The Remote Part"
Kaito, "Band-Red"
Led Zeppelin, DVD {This voter explains, "No album release came close to the monumental Zeppelin DVD package"}
The Long Winters, "When I Pretend To Fall"
The Malinks, "Can't Shake Last Night"
The Mars Volta, "De-Loused in the Comatorium"
Martina Topley-Bird, Quixotic"
Mogwai, "Happy Songs for Happy People"
Mojave 3, "Spoon & Rafter"
Nada Surf , "Let Go"
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Nocturama"
The Primate Five, "1234567APE"
The Rapture, "Echoes"
The Shins, "Chutes Too Narrow"
Sleepy Jackson, "Lovers"
Sloan, "Action Pact"
Smog, "Supper"
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, "Hearts of Oak"
The Thermals, "More Parts Per Million"
Triple R, "Friends"
Twilight Singers, "Blackberry Belle"
Visqueen, "King Me"
The Wrens, "The Meadowlands"

* Denotes more than one #1 rating received.

return to the full 2003 recap

Best of 2003: Top 100 Imaginary Albums of the Year

three imaginary girls — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:00:00 +0000

You voted, and we tabulated. Now you can print and clip the top 100 imaginary albums of the year list for your post-holiday-gift-certificate shopping pleasure...

The Postal Service, "Give Up"
The Shins, "Chutes Too Narrow"
Death Cab for Cutie, "Transatlanticism"
Radiohead, "Hail To The Thief"
Outkast, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"
The White Stripes, "Elephant"
The Long Winters, "When I Pretend To Fall"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Fever to Tell"
The New Pornographers, "Electric Version"
The Decemberists, "Her Majesty, the Decemberists"
The Strokes, "Room On Fire"
The Wrens, "The Meadowlands"
The Divorce, "There Will Be Blood Tonight"
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, "Hearts of Oak"
Nada Surf, "Let Go"
Visqueen, "King Me"
Idlewild, "The Remote Part"
Junior Senior, "D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat"
Cat Power, "You Are Free
Belle & Sebastian, "Dear Catastrophe Waitress"
The Rapture, "Echoes"
The Darkness, "Permission to Land"
The Thermals, "More Parts Per Million"
The Dandy Warhols, "Welcome To The Monkey House"
The Lights, "Beautiful Bird"
Stellastarr*, "Stellastarr*"
Various Artists, "Lost in Translation" Soundtrack
Massive Attack, "100th Window"
The Mars Volta, "De-Loused in the Comatorium"
Wonderful, "God Bless Our Pad"
British Sea Power, "Decline of British Sea Power"
The Delgados, "Hate"
Jayhawks, "Rainy Day Music"
Los Halos, "Leaving Va."
Mogwai, "Happy Songs for Happy People"
My Morning Jacket, "It Still Moves"
The Aislers Set, "How I Learned to Write Backwards"
The Thrills, "So Much for the City"
Kaito, "Band-Red"
Basement Jaxx, "Kish Kash"
Gillian Welch, "Soul Journey"
Grandaddy, "Sumday"
The Decemberists, "Castaways and Cutouts"
Twilight Singers, "Blackberry Belle"
Sun Kil Moon, "Ghosts of the Great Highway"
American Analog Set, "Promise of Love"
Damien Jurado, "Where Shall You Take Me?"
The Hidden Cameras,"The Smell Of Their Own"
Cursive, "The Ugly Organ"
Clearlake, "Cedars"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Take Them On, On Your Own"
Mojave 3, "Spoon & Rafter"
Rufus Wainwright, "Want One"
Calexico, "Feast of Wire"
Crooked Fingers, "Red Devil Dawn"
Sleepy Jackson, "Lovers"
Fountains Of Wayne, "Welcome Interstate Managers"
Manitoba, "Up in Flames"
Pretty Girls Make Graves, "New Romance"
Andrew Bird, "Weather Systems"
Johnny Cash, "Unearthed"
The Libertines, "Up the Bracket"
The Paybacks, "Knock Loud"
Broadcast "Haha Sound"
Deerhoof, "Apple 'O"
Menomena, "I Am the Fun Blame Monster!"
Fanny Pack,"So Stylistic"
Jet, "Get Born"
Kinky, "Atlas"
The Notwist, "Neon Golden"
Broken Social Scene, "You Forgot It In People"
Ed Harcourt, "From Every Sphere"
Exploding Hearts, "Guitar Romantic"
The Kills, "Keep On Your Mean Side"
Blur, "Think Tank"
Four Tet, "Rounds"
Kings of Leon, "Youth & Young Manhood"
The Drive-By Truckers, "Decoration Day"
The Minus 5, "Down With Wilco"
The Orb, "Bicycles and Tricycles"
Downpilot, "Leaving Not Arriving"
Longwave, "The Strangest Things"
Okkervil River, "Down the River of Golden Dreams"
The Malinks, "Can't Shake Last Night"
The Stills, "Logic Will Break Your Heart"
United State of Electronica, "Demo"
Guided By Voices, "Earthquake Glue"
Anna Oxygen, "All Your Faded Things"
Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man "Out of Season"
Dead Meadow, "Shivering King and Others"
Martina Topley-Bird, Quixotic"
Rachel's, "Systems/Layers"
The Fitness,"Call Me for Together"
The Primate Five, "1234567APE"
Triple R, "Friends"
Holopaw, "Holopaw"
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Nocturama"
Smog, "Supper"
The Bad Plus, "These are the Vistas"
The Gossip,"Movement"

A list of the top 100 records of 2003 as voted on by you, our fabulous imaginary readers.