British Sea Power – Machineries Of Joy

It seems insane to think British Sea Power’s debut ‘The Decline In British Sea Power’ was released ten years ago. A decade on, they have released their 5^th studio album: ‘Machineries Of Joy’. The punkier numbers have mellowed somewhat but their beauty and grandeur remain large on an album which celebrates the classic BSP sound fans have come to know and love.

However, ‘Hail Holy Queen’ is one of the few tracks which deviate from the classic BSP sound this album generates. The strings will drift you out to sea without a care in the world; meanwhile Hamilton’s vocals are gloriously sweet and reminiscent of Mercury Rev’s David Barker.

But back to basiscs: ‘Loving Animals’ takes BSP’s love of Bowie to his electro/Berlin phase. What is fantastic about this song reflects what is great about this entire album. You can hear BSP’s influences from start to finish but at no point is any track a pastiche or parody. The final minute exemplifies this with the trippy Neu-esque guitars which are accompanied by vocals worth of Mark E Smith at his insatiable best.

Quite often with British Sea Power records one or two numbers are up-tempo punk rock anthems and mark themselves out as instant classics. On ‘Machineries Of Joy’ however everything is far more tranquil. ‘When You Need It Most’ is a sumptuous ode to Richard Hawley’s ‘Coles Corner’ material and the great Walker Brothers singles of the late 60s. ‘A Light Descending Above’ recalls the rock prowess of ‘Open The Door’ but with a sombre Robert Wyatt circa ‘Shipbuilding’ approach.

Ultimately this is an album for the dedicated British Sea Power fans out there. It is as though the lads have hit the studio with the idea: ‘let’s make a British Sea Power record’. There’s no messing around with new formulas here, but it is not a step back by any means. The quality of every track - we repeat, every track - is so high it is impossible for it to be anything other than a triumph.

Finally, what really excites TT about this is album is the feeling that the next one will be like witnessing a fully charged BSP going into a glorious battle, armed only with electric guitars and massive amps.

Peace - In Love

Peace are a 4 piece from Worcester and have been taking the UK by storm on their recent headline NME Awards tour. TT just couldn’t resist the hype and had to check out their debut album ‘In Love’.

Whilst TT feels this is one hell of a debut, it would be foolish to ignore that this album is unblemished. ‘Lovesick’ is everything we despise here at TT: British bands singing in an New Found Glory style. It is enough to make you want to go ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ on anyone who likes it. There, now that’s been said, we can all forget about that and move on…

The opening track ‘Higher Than The Sun’ immediately brings to mind Primal Scream’s incredible Acid House tinged anthem not only because of the title but in relation to its escapist virtues. Whilst musically it is more akin to the Scream’s rock-cum bluesy numbers, it has a wonderful feeling of youth awakening and stretching for more. The timing couldn't be better suited with further cuts being made and the ridiculous “Bedroom Tax” coming in to play. Sometimes bands time their journey into cultural conscious of the public just right and Peace appear to be doing just this.

The indie/rock scene has been largely divided in to two realms in recent years. On one side you have rock-psyche with Tame Impala, Toy and Kasabian and on the other there are the softer and more pop friendly (but by no means less credible) bands such as Foals, Mystery Jets and Little Comets. Peace are exciting because they look like the first band to unite the two divisions. ‘Follow Baby’ has verses which sound like The Pixies but with Gruff Rhys pulling the production strings to create a uniquely trippy, yet punky, sound. When the track reaches the chorus, Harry Kossier’s vocals hit those lush tones that Friendly Fires did so well with on ‘Paris’ to provide an ecstatic moment to treasure.

The Foals references will be ringing loud and clear on ‘Wraith’. It is like an offspring of Foals hit ‘My Number’ whose riff may not be as catchy but as a single has so much more depth. There is also looping piano which fades in and out to signify that Happy Mondays’ ‘Step On’ was not in vain. The lyrics are spectacular within this setting too. The below chorus may read as childish but with the tune behind it, it feels like two young lovers grasping freedom by the horns with the intention of living forever:

‘You could be my ice age sugar / Lay me down and make me shiver / Blow me like a floating feather / We’ll be dark we’ll be dark we’ll be dark forever’.

Then comes the colossal ‘Sugarstone’. What a spectacular rock song. It has a beautiful haziness worthy of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and a swagger not too dissimilar to that off ‘Champagne Supernova’. Oasis seemingly play no part musically in the bands influences but the philosophy of Peace is something different altogether. What makes both bands great is that unseen spirit which allows you and your best mate to belong to something to cherish for all time. ‘Sugarstone’is one of the few tracks that manage to tap into this soul successfully with the lyrics: “It’s not about a generation / It’s not about our education / We don’t need to think today / Cos you and me can slip away”.

These lyrics are just another reason to why Peace are the best thing to happen to the UK music scene since the Libertines. They give a much needed voice to the indie/rock youth of today. TT can see Peace uniting the indie hipsters and math rock fans with Kasabian and Beady Eye lovers out there. ‘In Love’ is an album you must all invest in!

Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen

Veronica Falls returned earlier this year with ‘Waiting For Something To Happen’, the follow up to their self-titled debut. This week, TT decided to check out what the indie-surf lovelies had been up to. In short: - relationships. This album is a great collection of crisp pop songs, of which, the lyrical content delves into the two and fro of the everyday complexities of relationships.

‘Tell Me’ opens the album and really sets the tone for what is to follow. It is littered with pitch perfect vocal harmonies which fans of Camera Obscura will adore. The flawless nature of the vocals lends ‘Tell Me’ an eerie feeling. They are so perfect that it suggests the protagonist is damaged beneath the surface and if we scratch away at the lyrical fabric of ‘Tell Me’ it is clear to see that this is the case. The opening verse portrays the desperate half of a relationship trying to garner where they stand:

‘Tell me, tell me everything / Tell me if your boat is sinking / Tell me where you have been / Tell me, tell me everything’

‘Waiting For Something To Happen’ is another fine exponent of relationship woes, this time reflecting how sometimes, one member is the driving force behind everything the couple do, whilst the other needs to be shook into life:

‘If you don’t realise / There’s no sacrifice / If you feel the way I do / World won’t wait for you’

TT is struggling to remember if anyone has ever produced lyrics which really get at the average relationship so well. The British public love songs about the big gesture (Elbow – ‘One Day Like’ This or The Smiths – ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’). Well, now is the time for a healthy dose of the truth as banal but intricate power struggles between couples are brought to life.

Former single ‘Teenage’ witnesses the band going to the next level. It sounds a little bit like Slade’s ‘Cum On Feel The Noise’ being covered by The Pastels. As Spring is threatening to kick in, there is no better time to listen to this sun-drenched piece of majesty. The voice of lead vocalist, Roxanne Clifford, has such an innocence to it that the simple lyrics: ‘When are you gonna see / I carved your name in the cherry tree / From the window when you look outside / I’ll be there you know I wont hide’ gets across the uncontrollable intensity we all brought matters of the heart as teenagers.

As we have discussed, the discourse for a lot of the songs on ‘Waiting For Something to Happen’ is centred around love and what it actually does to people in relationships. Then comes ‘Buried Alive’. Never has song encapsulated the isolation and torment that heartbreak can bring to a teenager. This tune comes from deepest murkiest parts of the stomach that ache so much when you go through the pain of something you don’t understand.

This second helping from Veronica Falls is sublime success and deserves all the plaudits it receives. Much like the Maccabees, they have perfected the sound they set out to achieve on their debut by their second album. Here’s hoping for that big sounding record on album no. 3 which catapults them into the consciousness of bigger audiences.