The Decline of British Sea Power, British Sea Power’s debut album, was one of the strongest records of 2003. It wasn’t just the brilliant, distortion-heavy rock songs or the quirky use of Gregorian chanting, but the way they had made something truly evocative of Great Britain, both in terms of historical musical trends and the way they captured something of the British spirit in their tales of decay, the ocean, and past military adventures. Which is why it’s been such a shame to see them descend into stereotypical stadium rock and U2-esque anthems with their two most recent releases, Open Season and Do You Like Rock Music?
However, British Sea Power seem to be going back to that redolent, erstwhile style. On May 5, Rough Trade will be releasing a DVD of 1934’s Man of Aran, featuring new music written by British Sea Power that will not only soundtrack the film, but will also be included separately on CD. Check out this clip. I think it demonstrates what BSP do best: capturing a sense of mood, time, and place with modern instrumentation. According to BSP guitarist Noble:
It’s a wonderful film. The images vary between huge drama and a brilliant kind of ridiculousness -- check out the amazing foot-wide bobbled berets that the fishermen wear. It’s a great look, like a 1930s Irish version of Jack White or Kraftwerk. It’s a film that’s also relevant to the current era – a time when the idea of living a simpler life is in the air. The film shows something I'd like to think I could do, but know I never will.
The band will perform the soundtrack live to the film April 23 at London's BFI Southbank.