Do You Like Rock Music?

My intention was to have my take on Do You Like Rock Music? up in mid- to late December so that you could all read about it before it landed on shelves in mid-January. But this is where I have to admit to a level of ignorance that may render me not worthy of your reading on: this is the first time I had heard of British Sea Power. So, I did my research and listened to their two previous long players.

Their first album is The Decline of British Sea Power (Rough Trade, 2003) and it is fucking brilliant, and highly acclaimed, hence my embarrassment. If you haven't listened to this album you must! Their second LP, Open Season (Rough Trade, 2005), was pretty rubbish.

Now we come to their third and latest album, Do You Like Rock Music?, and this has straight up cemented in a position of my best albums of 2008 and there's still 10-and-a-bit months of tremendous music still to arrive!

It's hard to avoid the common comparison of BSP's music with that of Bowie. From the outset of the album the Brighton-based four piece will excite you. This is an album that is clearly written as an album, not the "singles with filler please" format we of the iTunes era are more accustomed to. Despite several highlights this is one of those rare albums you will listen the entire way through almost everytime.

UPDATE: Clearly Pitchfork don't quite agree with me, giving the album a rating of U.2, whatever that means...

British Sea Power - Waving Flags

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