British Sea Power is a unique band that emerged from the first wave of new
British music that included Libertines and Franz Ferdinand. The Libertines came
out with their second album and disappeared. Franz Ferdinand are working on
theirs. The Power have come out with their sophomore effort when the next crop
of bands (Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Kasabian, and Razorlight) are already
looking for some booty. At first this record is deceptive. Nothing initial stands
out. I have already written somewhere that I found their songwriting on their
first album to be amazing and totally inspired. Some of that vibe is continued
on this journey. The first two songs sound like tracks from the first album.
"Be Gone" is the most worthy song. "How Will I Ever Find My Way Home" is part
of the new sound, which is remarkably like a Luna song. It has that relaxed
and not trying feeling. There is a quiet mood on a few tracks (Honeycomb, North
Hanging Rock) that are much like the Velvet Underground. "Please Stand Up"
is probably their best song here. It competes with their great songs of the
first album. The wander into Phil Spector territory on "To Get To Sleep." After
I listen to this album a few times, I realize that they have made a subtle
great album. It is something that has lasting power. If The Libertines are the
Pistols, Franz are the Clash, then British Sea Power are Wire. They have that
unclassifiable quality that has many dimensions and cannot be immediately
reacted to.
Intro By JDD
ML: The natural world seems to be a major theme in your writing. This is largely the province of writers and poets. Who or what has infuenced this preoccupation?
YAN: Growing up in the Lake District of northen England, you'd have to be a fool not to notice the beauty of a natural landscape. It was good enough up there to inspire William Wordsworth after all.
ML: Your recent stage shows have a more paired down presentation to them. What was the thinking behind stripping away some of the stage theatrics?
YAN: Having worked as a gardener before BSP it became obvious some pruning was needed to encourage new growth. The stage is often a healthy green again nowadays.
ML: The sound of your second album, open season manages to be more accessible while keeping your idiosyncrasies intact. Was there ever the desire to follow the more bizarre tangents of your debut?
YAN: When you're often described and known as eccentric oddballs, it would have been the obvious thing to live up to this. However as this description holds some truth we didn't do the obvious thing.
ML: Was there any cohering concept behind the songs on the last two records. If so what were they?
ML: The sound of your second album, open season manages to be more accessible while keeping your idiosyncrasies intact. Was there ever the desire to follow the more bizarre tangents of your debut?
YAN:For me the act of creation is more like managing a series of chaotic accidents than following a preordained master plan.
ML: Have you started writing the next record. Do you have very specific ideas of how things will sound or do you let things evolve more organically?
ML: The sound of your second album, open season manages to be more accessible while keeping your idiosyncrasies intact. Was there ever the desire to follow the more bizarre tangents of your debut?
YAN:Having recently been inspired by DeeDee Ramones rap career as described in the Ramones DVD we're thinking of getting F F F F F F F FUNKY.
ML: You seem to be a band that has a very strong identity. You offer quite a rich aesthetic universe compared to a lot of guitar bands. Who woud credit as your major formative influences and how do you think they informed this approach?
YAN: It doesn't seem too hard to stand out these days. The local library was always incredibly informative as a youngster. You could rent and copy the Pixies and Julian Cope or read about beautiful places like lake Baikol in Mongolia. The largest and purest body of water on the whole planet. A place where people suffer from vertigo whilst peering over the edge of boats, the water is so clear.
Questions: Mathew Lindsay
