British Sea Power - Machineries Of Joy Review
rating: 2.5
Release Date: April 1, 2013 The fifth album (or sixth, depending on if you count a film score or not) from eccentric indie rockers British Sea Power is a frustrating piece of work that makes one begin to wonder what kind of band British Sea Power want to be at this stage in their career. It has been ten years since their stellar debut album, which came out at the denouement of the post-punk/garage rock revival scene of the early noughties. While there were definite traces of that scene to be found throughout, British Sea Power showcased a much more art-rock influenced sound than their peers. Their sound took an unexpected turn with the follow-up, 2005's Open Season. The bits and pieces of garage rock had been completely eschewed, replaced with tighter songwriting and a poppier sound overall. Since then, the band seems to have been in the midst of an identity crisis; putting out the bombastic U2-esque showcase Do You Like Rock Music? in 2008, and the underwhelming Valhalla Dancehall in 2011, which seemed like a phoned-in version of its predecessor. Their newest, while a slightly better effort than the last, again comes off as phoned-in and a bit restrained. The albums opener, the title track, starts things off well enough with gentle synths, pleasant, wispy guitar, vocalist Yans hushed David Bowie impression, and a catchy enough hook. At a little over six minutes, this is classic British Sea Power, and the albums best song. The tempo picks up with K Hole, which tries very hard to be anthemic with its various yelps and yowls, but ultimately fails. From there, the album starts on a downward trend of generic Smiths-worship (Hail Holy Queen), meandering, by-the-numbers ballads (What You Need The Most) and lifeless, mid-tempo rockers that attempt to harken back to the more exuberant days of their debut (Monsters of Sunderland). It all just sounds like a band that does not feel comfortable in taking risks anymore; something that British Sea Power once excelled at. Things do slightly improve with the last three tracks, however. Radio Goddard is a placid, synth-driven tune that wouldnt be out of place on the pop-oriented Open Season album. A Light Above Descending continues the calm tone of the previous song, replacing the synths with a dreamy, delayed guitar over a country beat. The song slowly builds into a crescendo that is the albums most emotional, yet frustratingly restrained moment, which ultimately ruins this would-be great song. The final track, When a Warm Wind Blows Through Grass, features quiet yet menacing drums and a repeated-and-equally-menacing arpeggiated guitar line. It sounds like nothing British Sea Power has done before, which only adds to the frustration of this album. This song shows that the band is still willing to take risks, while the middle section of the album is played as safe as can be. The closing track, much like the penultimate one, builds and builds to a restrained climax, and then ends abruptly. The song itself is powerful, if a little boring, yet provides a somewhat dissatisfying conclusion to this confused and wearisome album. The trajectory that British Sea Power has been on since their debut has been disappointing, to say the least, and Machineries of Joy does nothing to help improve their stature in the indie rock community. Perhaps the band was a bit prophetic in naming their debut album The Decline of British Sea Power.