British Sea Power - Open Season

Decline Of British Sea Power was hands down one of my favorite albums of recent years, and I always felt like it never got the recognition it deserved. Suffice it to say that I was very eager to hear their sophomore effort, and here it is. Sadly, Open Season probably won’t get all that much recognition either, but this time it is perhaps with good reason. Let me say right off the bat that I really like this album. As a stand alone release it would be great, but as a follow up it just leaves me wanting. The first album was sporadic and unpredictable; it jumped around and kept your attention, making it an adventure and a rewarding quest. This time around the band gets a little tighter and more focused-in on a particular sound, but in turn they sacrifice the rawness and energy that made the first album so special. “It Ended On An Oily Stage” cruises along for an opener, and though a nice song, it doesn’t grab your attention like a first impression should and might have been better served later in the album. “How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?” is the first great song on the disc, but it is right around this time that you begin to sense that the songs are not so diversified. The first half of the disc rises to a brilliant crescendo with “Please Stand Up,” the albums best all around song, before slowing down with the beautiful “North Hanging Rock,” a hauntingly mellow piece providing a nice break in between sides. The latter half of the album kind of falls into a sound and blends together, culminating in “The Land Beyond” - very nice, flowing and mellow but sometimes too much so. The disc leaves a nice taste in your mouth with “True Adventures,” an epic and beautiful work, but one that can’t help but fall short when compared to “Lately” (the epic equivalent from the previous release), which is one of my favorite tracks. Overall, the disc just feels too much like British Sea Power, as if the band honed in on a sound and a conceptual feel and ran with it for the entire album. What results is still a fantastic album, but what is left behind is the diversity and breadth that made their debut such a scorcher. Still a disc I would highly recommend but a bit of a let down in what I think this band is truly capable of. [www.britishseapower.co.uk]