349) Sea Power - Open Season

As we all know when this record was released the band were known as British Sea Power but in 2021 due to the way the world has sadly become, they became Sea Power, so let’s stick with that.

Sea Power have been around for thirty years and have released ten studio albums, to me they are one of those bands where I enjoy their music, have bought their records and I could not tell you one single thing about them. So, a usual review from me then.

Open Season was their second record and made the UK Top Twenty and, for them, was a move more towards the mainstream. When I say the mainstream, I don’t mean sparkly costumes and designer videos just a better produced sound than their debut (well worth a listen for people unfamiliar with the band).

Lead singer Yan and bassist Hamilton, who also takes lead vocals, are brothers who both write individual songs with all four band members (guitarist Noble and drummer Wood) occasionally all writing together.

This is a record that takes me back to my bedroom in the mid to late 80’s where John Peel, Janice Long and Andy Kershaw, we haven’t mentioned these three for a while, educated me in music where I discovered The Smiths, Felt and Half Man Half Biscuit.  Sea Power are a mix, they have the guitar melodies of The Smiths, the beauty of Felt and the pure Britishness (sorry lads) of HMHB.

The two top forty hits It Ended on an Oily Stage and Please Stand Up are an excellent place to start, strong drums and bass as the guitars sweep over the tracks and strong choruses, try them, if you like then dive into the rest.

If you are still not sure, try the final track True Adventures over seven minutes long which starts as if the band are closing a show before settling down into a gorgeous ballad before the band decide to set off somewhere else four minutes in and then take us back down adding seagulls before storming out, epic, clever and beautiful.

If these do not work then it’s not for you but you would be missing out on Like A Honeycomb where Yan’s soft vocals harden as the song builds over layers of guitar and synth, or the magical direct riff of How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?   Plus, To Get To Sleep and Victorian Ice Johnny Marr, Will Seargent, and Graham Coxon would love to have played the guitars on these tracks.

Much to like here, a superior underappreciated treasure.

8/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: True Adventures