British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

The third full-length album from British Sea Power has other people's fingerprints all over it. That's not necessarily a bad thing; being influenced by your peers is unavoidable and it shows you still have a heartbeat and your ear to the ground. The sad thing about it is that from the Arcade Fire sound to the Flaming Lips nods, we've lost a bit of BSP's old eccentricity and I for one miss it. Whereas a couple of albums ago, this title would have been understood as an hilarious joke, now it is less irony and more an accurate indicator of what to expect inside. By their standard, anyway. It seems as though they've been pushed toward center, some record executive trying to translate mainstream sound into more album sales. Mainsteam = mediocrity in my books. Which is not to say that this album is entirely there, just a little closer than I'd like. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? worthy of its Nationwide Mercury Music Prize nomination? Solid yes. (Bet you didn't see that coming.)



Linked in the video: Click the Myspace logo to get to BSP's page; album covers are click-through-to-buy!