British Sea Power
Open Season
Rough Trade

British Sea Power are from Brighton and get compared to Joy Division, The Smiths, David Bowie and Talking Heads, but dress up like Old British War Generals. The band is a quartet, made up of brothers Yan and Hamilton from Natland and friends Noble and Wood. Geoff Travis of Rough Trade records noticed them and they were signed in 2001. They are known for their entertaining live shows.

Open Season begins with a good-bye. "Be Gone" has a big guitar sound that does in fact bring those bands to mind, but there's an originality here. Unfortunately, that originality and great guitar sound in the end just don't save the song. The vocals never quite convince. "How Will I Ever Find My Way Home" begins really boringly, but the guitars do end up picking it up a lot. The problem is with the vocals, which again just don't get to me. "It Ended On an Oily Stage" again brings a great guitar sound. But the lyrics on this album are just too vanilla. They ramble, which in turn kills the vocal melodies and maybe even the singer's tone.

A band with a lot of potential, British Sea Power just don't seem to have come into their own yet. I am quite taken by this style of music and I send BSP my best wishes, but I honestly couldn't recommend this album.

Copyright © 2005 Eugene Ward