Lets make no bones about it, if bands are going to wear their influences on their sleeves it’s only right, quite frankly, that folks like me should point them out at every god given opportunity. Lazy journalism? Praps. But it’s an idleness more than equally matched by many of the bands themselves and their own sluggish reluctance to pursue something original. British Sea Power on the otherhand, manage to stir up the dream of a thousand past masters whilst simultaneously steering their brave, intrepid vessel through an ocean of surprises.
Enough of the sea metaphors? Well alright. But you get my point – for every knowing wink in the direction of Joy Division, David Bowie, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Pixies and Lloyd Cole (honestly) there’s an eager move toward the altogether dishevelled and unfamiliar. Take the Gregorian chant that begins the album. Unexpected? I’ll say. And ‘Apologies to Insect’, ‘Favours In The Beetroot Field’? Sidestepping the manic shanty recall of head nautics, The Coral, there’s a very deliberate disorientating punk mania going on here: the delirious thumping debacle of the drums, the thrashing speed guitars. It’s a miracle it comes together – but it does in a clumsy and unkempt fashion. But that’s the whole bloody point. It’s like some tumultuous, torso tossing tempest. Pure disorientation: crank up the guitars, trash the drums and leave the audience in such an awkward state of uncertainty that all preconceptions about the music soften and dissolve. And for this we are rewarded with a lush, caressing calm when ‘Something Wicked’ collapses like foam into the forgeround.
This is where there’s marked change in direction: the sinister, breathless delivery, the flickering incandescence of the guitars, the wacky children’s choir sounds, the epic narrative – this is where Yan, the boys and their loud and dazzling hornpipe truly begin to shine. It’s fiery and gentle all at the same time and bleeds perfectly naturally into the haunting piano riffs of ‘The Lonely’ a couple of songs in.
What will get repeated plays on my little windows media player, however, is upcoming single ‘Carrion’ – a heart-stopping chuggernaut of a song: blistering Joy Division guitar line – tragically beautiful verses, uplifting chorus and very probably destined to grace the soundtrack to a thousand and one ‘Goal of the Week’ run downs this September. Pure Linekar.
Make no mistake about it; they’re going to be a very significant intervention in British music today. And somewhere along the line, they may just provide the answer.