British Sea Power

Long may they reign over us

Do You Like Rock Music?

Well, do you like rock music? If so, get yourself an unhealthy dose of this cracking Brighton quartet’s latest work – their third album.

We say unhealthy because so much of the album tries to fatten-up the listener into responding to the question poised by the title.

Once labelled the next big thing, British Sea Power are in danger of becoming a band that once had potential.

This album deserves multiple play and we guess might just rescue British Sea Power from a watery grave.

The album has tics and seemingly-involuntary blasts of white noise that can jar while it also serves to remind us that this band ‘do live’ very well and the last thing they should have is a polished studio sound.

There’s a sense that BSP are after a bit of what they deserve and they try to ease us into a rock formula which on occasions, really works.

Tracks like Atom have a buzzing chorus and Waving Flags should be this album’s anthem song.

On the flip side, The Great Skua is a sweeping, floating instrumental, cut free from the rock formula and all the more lovely because if it.

And let’s not forget Shirley Crabtree, or better known as wrestler Big Daddy. If one track is to dent the charts then No Lucifer with it’s Eas-sy, Eas-sy Big Daddy chant, is the one.

Giant Haystacks should be quaking in his boots.

We say: British Sea Power are the aircraft carriers of the rock world.

They say: Do You Like Rock Music?, should break the ice with a wider audience – one nonplussed, perhaps, by their image as a crazed cadet force

Best Track: Loving No Lucifer but the MP3 keeps spinning back to The Great Skua

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