British Sea Power
Open Season
- Record Label
- Rough Trade
About this item
Their first album did really well, as a word-of-mouth thing, and back then BSP stood alone in the old-school indie quirky art-pop stakes. They were a refreshing leftward turn. Now everyone's at it, but the good news is that this second album is a huge step on from their debut. It has a controlled, powerful splendour which recalls the dark, melodic wonder of Joy Division and features less of the jerky wackiness of old. This is a beautiful record and whilst the words 'epic' and 'soaring' aren't usually associated with leftfield pop, BSP manage to be both those things. But they do it cleverly, with grace and good taste. This will be a contender for Album Of The Year.