British Sea Power - Let The Dancers Inherit The Party (Album Review)
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Written by Jacob Brookman
Over the past 17 years, British Sea Power have unfortunately developed from precocious critical darlings to a bit of a nothing band. They peddle rock anthems that can soar like a jet or sink like the Titanic and their latest album, ‘Let The Dancers Inherit the Party’ is, sadly, more sink than soar.
But why do these songs fail to connect? Well, here are three reasons.
First of all, the vocal melodies. In lyric writing there is a technique called ‘spiking’, which basically equates to the high notes in a sung melody line. It’s really important when the song has a more fluid texture (as pretty much all do here) because otherwise the sound becomes bland.
You need staccato punches to make lyrics arresting. Songs like International Space Station and What You’re Doing are good examples of vocal melodies that lack urgency. This might not matter so much if they weren’t adorned by….
Boring words. British Sea Power often develop truly elegant soundscapes on this album, with the outro on Electrical Kittens and Alone Piano’s drony arrangement offering something beautiful. The problem is that, while the album may be intended as a beacon of light in the post Brexit gloom, its lyrics feel watery and easy to ignore, and it relegates otherwise decent songwriting to background music.
Writing lyrics is like conducting a relationship - it’s not what you mean, it’s how the other person feels when you say it. And on this album, the tedium actually starts with the titles. Do song names like What You’re Doing, Want to Be Free or Alone Piano actually inspire much curiosity?
Finally, the sound is dated. ‘Let The Dancers Inherit the Party’ essentially sounds like a knock-off version of the War on Drugs' ‘Lost in the Dream’ (released in 2014), but the problem is more pervasive. Lead single Keep on Trying (Sechs Freunde) sounds a lot like ‘X&Y’-era Coldplay, and while this will surely connect with indie die-hards, the truth is that music has moved on a lot since then. That’s not to advocate British Sea Power suddenly employing a hybrid drum kit or trying to collaborate with Stormzy, but there is little here that demands attention.
British Sea Power Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue April 11 2017 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Wed April 12 2017 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Thu April 13 2017 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
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