The whole point of forming a band is to be part of a gang, to erect your own world and find a communal space on this hectic planet.
British Sea Power do this more than most. Lyrically, the band are obsessed with British past instilling an almost David Lynch sense of the bizarre into the most mundane of items. Releasing ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ in 2008 the band may well have crafted their most ‘British Sea Power’ like document to date.
The riffs seemed stronger, the songwriting more advanced. The album could well be the most satisfying thing British Sea Power have undertaken, if it wasn’t for that delicious home brew they sneaked out.
Speaking to lead singer Yan, however, it seems that the band still feel that they have a lot to explore. “I think we try to approach every album the same, and it’s how well you succeed in it” he explained. “It did in a way, but ‘Man Of Aran’ sums up Sea Power equally well and it’s the exact opposite.”
Released last year, ‘Man Of Aran’ was a soundtrack to a cult British film detailing a lost way of life on a remote Irish island. “That’s partly what seemed attractive – a lost way of life where people had quite different attitudes. Quite tough people in a way. It had a strangeness, a David Lynch quality in a way. But I thought the photography was very good, and very modern.”
Continuing, Yan explained that the soundtrack project has affected the band’s new album. “I think that’s partly why it’s taken such a long time to put all the elements together because we wanted to do that. We wanted more spacious songs where you are allowing things to grow quite naturally and slowly. Combined with that was a ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ element – it was quite a tricky thing really”.
“It is almost ready, although it’s becoming a bit of a monster. It should be finished and out during July or August.”
Written in a variety of remote locations, the new album was mainly recorded in British Sea Power’s studio on the South Downs – if you could call it a ‘studio’.
“It’s not really a big studio. We just thought we’d spend our money on a studio so we bought a load of old microphones. Studios now are very clean – I mean, you can’t smoke in them any more. It’s like being in an office.”
With the final tracklisting yet to be decided, Yan told ClashMusic that British Sea Power are currently working through in-jokes before settling on a title for the new album. “We’ve gone through some pretty weird titles. ‘Needing Diesel’ was going to be one for about a month. A couple of Alan Partridge inspired ones. It’s quite confusing at the minute, because it’s really pressure on at the minute.”
One thing is for sure, however: the obsession with British past will remain. “A lot of people think that we’re quirky or eccentric or something but we’re just a little more broadminded about subject material than some people are.”
British Sea Power play Hinterland on April 3rd.
