British Sea Power Test Spin

The sign of a good band is consistency. The sign of a great one is evolution. Where does British Sea Power fall? Well, somewhere in between.

Their progression from post-punk-esque to airy indie-rock takes a new turn as the English quartet goes bigger, louder and higher. In much the same way as The Arcade Fire’s symphonic ambitions shaped Neon Bible [1], so do the same epic aspirations drive Rock Music, and the result is pretty damn listenable. Vocals echo, chimes ring and multiple guitars pound out riffs; it all meshes into something that fits somewhere between The Cure and The Postal Service, certainly a change from their days riffing Joy Division.

There might be a little bit of a problem with this whole idea of evolution though; Sea Power’s first record was their best, and for all their grand ambition here, it’s hard to tell if this album’s themes will ever resonate as powerfully as their admittedly skillful rock melodies.