Whether
it’s their bizarre, dis-ordinary lyricism, signature stage antics or
experimentally unique sound, Indie troubadours British Sea Power have always had something
profoundly special about them. Five sturdy albums later, the Brighton-based six
pack whisk up yet another likeable success with colourful and thrilling show-piece Machineries of Joy.
“We’d
like to think the album is warm and restorative,” says singer Yan. “Various
things are touched on in the words –. The world often seems a mad, hysterical
place at the moment. You can’t really be oblivious to that, but we’d like the
record to be an antidote – a nice game of cards in pleasant company.”
Considering the dense, dreamy rhythms of ‘Hail Holy Mary’, ghostly, stirring
vocals in ‘A Light above Descending’ and sweeping, guitar-pop synths unravelled
in ‘Spring Has Sprung’; front man Yan hits the nail on the head, sinking the
band into persistent unruffled progress.
Six-minute-long
title track opens the album perfectly before shifting effortlessly into
feel-good-fun, rock anthem ‘K Hole’. Tracks such as ‘Loving Animals ’and
‘Monsters of Sunderland’ encompass the band’s previous visceral and
obscure style whilst ending song, ‘When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Glass’
gives an eerie, lingering close to the album, placing it distinctively out of
line with current Rock and Indie sounds of modern day music and arguably making Machineries of Joy BSP’S most favourable piece of
work yet.
