British Sea Power

The cover of British Sea Power’s third album boldly inquires, “Do You Like Rock Music?” It’s an awful album title, but frankly it’s a good question for Americans to consider. With the rise of hip-hop and dance-pop, rock and roll’s popularity in the United States is tremendously low when compared to Europe. Sure, there was talk of a “rock revival” around the turn of the millennium, but most of the bands hyped during that movement have been forgotten. Over the last few years, hope for the resurrection of popular rock in America diminished until a debacle called “First Impressions of Earth” put the final nail in the coffin.

Perhaps no band better exemplifies America’s resistance to good rock better than British Sea Power. In 2005, MTV in North America banned the video for their single “Please Stand Up” because of the devilishly provocative lyric “a little excitement makes us wetter.” So even as British Sea Power scores Top 40 hits across the pond, in the US they continue to toil in semi-obscurity, registering somewhere between British brethren Bloc Party and Maxïmo Park on the popularity scale. This is truly unfortunate, because “Do You Like Rock Music?” is an invigorating listening experience which attests that British Sea Power deserves a broader audience.

Album opener “All in It,” a somber anthem propelled by resonant marching drums and dreamlike chanting, leads into what could be British Sea Power’s most instantly likable song since 2003’s “Remember Me.” Second track “Lights Out For Darker Skies” is a post-punk epic featuring crashing cymbals and descending guitar lines, ending with an optimistic call and response proclaiming, “Hey now, now / Oh, the future’s bright.” At six and a half minutes in length, the song is unlikely to be released as a single in its current form, but it’s easily the apex of this record.

Lead single “Waving Flags,” with its patriotic refrain, straddles the line between uplifting and ironic. It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what the song’s message is, but the lyrics distinctly focus on alcohol, especially in the quatrain “Beer is not dark / Beer is not light / It just tastes good / Especially tonight.” Second single “No Lucifer” begins with a subtle reverb effect birthing a somber violin-guitar duet, which then bursts into a My Bloody Valentine-esque melody, complete with high-pitched, feedback-laden vocals. These are smart, catchy tracks with the potential for universal appeal, if only Americans would turn off their Linkin Park and 50 Cent long enough to notice them.

Though British Sea Power has a reputation for pretentious lyrics and incorporates many obscure literary and historical references into their songs, this album has relatively few such moments. In fact, the band even chooses science over liberal arts for the lyrics of “Atom,” though lead singer, Yan, readily admits, “I just don’t get it.”

Less focus on esoteric allusions allows the band to showcase their musicianship, as well as the album’s production. Every song is overflowing with different musical elements, with each instrument distinctly audible rather than muddled by excess. This is most apparent on instrumental track “The Great Skua,” which emulates the symphonic post-rock of Explosions in the Sky, and provides much-needed relief after chaotic rockers “Down on the Ground” and “A Trip Out.”

Album closer “We Close Our Eyes,” a reprise of “All in It,” begins with a few minutes of aimless noise until a simple, minor organ melody and booming, echoing voices bring the album to a dramatic close. This hopeful conclusion to “Do You Like Rock Music?” can be seen as an allegory for the rock renaissance that many American music lovers still eagerly await. There is clearly still hope for a revitalization of the genre, but only if albums like this one start to garner the attention they merit.

—Reviewer Jeff W. Feldman can be reached at jfeldman@fas.harvard.edu.