British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall

[Music Head]

expected better here from a small sampling of past work.
didn't pan out but it could after a few listens.
unfortunately it will probably never get that.
liked Who's In Control, Georgie Ray, Luna, Living Is So Easy and Heavy Water.
Grade - 1.6

released Jan 11th, 2011



from the album - Living Is So Easy - grade 2.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNOrK_T4UOI

from all music

Bio

A quartet from Brighton, England, British Sea Power are a rather conceptual indie band -- compared more than once to Joy Division -- featuring members named Hamilton, Noble, Yan, and Wood. The group was formed in the late 2000, and its live shows began to receive notice early on, thanks in no small part to the large stuffed birds that perched on-stage and the militaristic uniforms worn by the bandmembers. Rough Trade's Geoff Travis was taken aback by one of British Sea Power's (literally) wild performances and signed them; by the end of 2001, they had two singles in the racks: "Fear of Drowning" on Golden Chariot and "Remember Me" on Rough Trade. The group released its critically acclaimed debut, The Decline of British Sea Power, in 2003. Open Season arrived in 2005, followed by Do You Like Rock Music? in early 2008. The following year, British Sea Power lent their signature post-punk atmospherics to director Robert Flaherty's bleak 1934 film Man of Aran, composing a complete soundtrack for the movie to be included on the DVD, as well as performing the piece in its entirety at a number of screenings. In 2010 the band unleashed the seven-track EP Zeus, followed in 2011 by its fourth full-length outing, Valhalla Dancehall.

Album Review

British Sea Power's fourth, proper studio album skillfully navigates the middle ground between 2008’s soaring Do You Like Rock Music? and 2009’s wistful, largely instrumental soundtrack for the 1934 naturalist docudrama Man of Aran. Like all BSP records, Valhalla Dancehall aims for the nosebleed section while remaining oddly detached. The band’s penchant for crafting stadium-sized epics without any real hooks was nearly obliterated by 2008’s brilliant “Waving Flags,” which could have elicited goose bumps from a cadaver, but outside of the infectious, Big Country-inspired opening cut “Who’s in Control?,” Valhalla Dancehall remains firmly rooted in the formless, Arctic grandeur that has defined the band throughout the decade. Angular, post-punk romps like “Thin Black Sail” and “Stunde Null” echo the raw power of the group’s 2003 debut, while the slow burn of “Georgie Ray,” “Baby,” and “Cleaning Out the Rooms,” the latter of which appeared on the 2010 EP Zeus, reflect the pastoral Sussex and Isle of Skye environments from which they were hatched. Birders and naturalists looking for the soundtrack to their next big expedition have no greater ally than this Cumbria-born collective. They have whittled and honed their sound so decisively (even new elements like electronics and samples feel like they’ve been on the palette for years) that their very name can be used as an adjective (British Sea Power-esque). That said, introducing a few new colors to the canvas might help with recruitment, or better yet, convince the current troops that a fifth tour is not only imminent, but necessary.

Track Listing

1 Who's in Control? British Sea Power, Noble , Yan 3:14
2 We Are Sound British Sea Power, Noble , Yan 4:47
3 Georgie Ray British Sea Power, Yan 3:47
4 Stunde Null British Sea Power, Yan 2:38
5 Mongk II British Sea Power, Hamilton 4:48
6 Luna British Sea Power, Yan 4:16
7 Baby British Sea Power, Hamilton 5:46
8 Living Is so Easy British Sea Power, Hamilton , Noble … 4:01
9 Observe the Skies British Sea Power, Noble , Sumner… 3:23
10 Cleaning Out the Rooms British Sea Power, Hamilton 7:11
11 Thin Black Sail British Sea Power, Noble , Yan 1:46
12 Once More Now British Sea Power, Hamilton 11:13
13 Heavy Water British Sea Power 3:39