There are a few things that are quintessentially British. Queues, the Royal family and the countryside for example. Whilst 'Open Season' won’t give you much insight into British Sea Power’s views on waiting in line or the state of the monarchy, its pretty clear that the great outdoors is high on the agenda. It’s a collection of songs built around an appreciation of nature, underpinned by the perils of modern life, and philosophical musing.
It’s a stance that takes a whole new meaning to the term Brit-pop. If the Pulps and Kaiser Chiefs of this world can pen witty anthems to the city and its people, then why not songs about unstable icebergs,‘Oh Larson B‘, and advising you to "drape yourself in greenery, become part of the scenery" , ‘North Hanging Rock‘. Opener ‘It Ended On An Oily Stage’ separates the wheat from the chaff: "we found god, in a Wiltshire field, and you did not". It’s a rousing call to the wild, surrounded in a drift of Cure influenced guitar and serenaded by the dulcet tones of front man Yan.
But is not just extolling the virtues of nature which drives the Brighton boys. In the world according to British Sea Power, modern life really is rubbish: "took a pill last night, just to get to sleep/put me on my back, not on my feet" Yan hushes on ‘To get to sleep’, a track which satires the kind of chemical induced slumber that the hustle and bustle of contemporary living has led us to.
Which leads us nicely to the standout track. ‘Please stand up’, a sing-along ode to getting away from it all: "if there’s anyone asking did you get a rush? / There’s no point in asking, it wasn’t enough". Rambling around Yan’s delicate delivery is a typical British pop song. Catchy hook, memorable chorus and uplifting key-change bridge, it’s the nearest thing to radio-friendly hit Open Season provides.
Open Season is an album which picks apart the ramshackle influences of debut ‘The Decline of..’ and gives us the best idea so far of what British Sea Power are really about. Soaring melodic guitar hooks reminiscent of The Cure or early Spiritualised, the roots under delicate lyrics with diverse subject matter. It’s a brave move which goes against most of the current garage rock or indie-electro sounds in music at the moment, but then British Sea Power are hardly the band to be bothered about setting the trend, they recently played their version of a ‘guerilla gig’ in a field in Tunbridge Wells.
"In between the morning and the evening light/that’s how the days go by" Yan muses on ‘Like a honeycomb’, you could do a lot worse that spend them with British Sea Power.