Never have I eaten my words as quickly as when our Travis Ritter
announced British Sea Power’s new album (Do You Like Rock Music?) and
I dissed and dismissed it, only to hear one of the songs on the radio
10 minutes later and fall in love. The third album by this
Brighton-based band stands out among the oatmeal (to steal a phrase
from Dlisted.com’s Michael K) that I find most current British pop to
be. It was recorded in Montreal, the Czech Republic, and a
19th-century fortification in Cornwall, and on it the foursome’s epic
guitars and multiple obsessionsfrom Sodom to Polish plumbers to Hedy
Lamarrmeet with smart melodies to make a satisfying package of songs.
“It’s about cherry wood and Kevlarthe good and the bad,” said BSP
guitarist Martin Noble. Addressing cultural anxiety with optimism, and
doing it well. With Colourmusic. Neumo’s, 925 E. Pike St.,
709-9467. 8 p.m. $12 adv.
Listen to a sample of British Sea Power’s “No Lucifer.”
Tue., March 4, 8 p.m., 2008
