British Sea Power: Valhalla Dancehall

It is very easy to have released the record of the year (so far) when we are only in January. And make no mistake about it, British Sea Power have managed that. The thing is, they may also have the record of the year when we reach December as well. Because, and make no mistake about this, Valhalla Dancehall is a great album. In fact, it is pretty fucking fan-fucking-tastic.

The tendency thus far in BSP's career has been for them to open with a mood piece - a piece of music or a song to set out the stall for their album ("It Ended On An Oily Stage" being the honourable exception. Not so Valhalla Dancehall. The opening song is BSP at perhaps their most political; it is an angry song that laments the fact the protesting on a Saturday night isn't considered cool. It very much taps into the protesting zeitgeist - intentionally or otherwise - and as such is precisely the sort of song that Manic Street Preachers should be writing these days, but (sadly) they aren't. And from there, we have a mix of both the normal BSP songs yet a more confident band and therefore a more compelling final product. It all culminates in "Heavy Water" - a song that combines the best of Pulp and Echo and the Bunnymen in their respective primes, yet still retains a distinctly BSP flavour to it. And by the time that rolls around for the first time, you know that you have heard something good. But the best thing is that you know you will have to go back to it and listen to it again to fully appreciate it. And that's when it starts to get even better.

Confidence is probably the watchword here; this is a band who know that people will listen to their record, and as a result don't feel the need to chase popularity (a problem with Open Season, perhaps) but instead can focus on making their songs as strong as possible. Plus, the lyrical dexterity - what other band could have a protest song that involve the lyrics "I'm a big fan of the local library/I just read a book/But that's another story" or have a lead single that talks about the nature of celebrity in part through acronyms ("Your VPL in the SUV")? Even the refugee songs from last year's slightly lacklustre Zeus EP fit in well here. It sounds like a complete musical project.

Of course, BSP are not for everyone, and if you prefer less cerebral and less obscure indie music, then this will not be for you. But as far as I am concerned, this is a document of a band at the very height of their powers. A clever, witty, moving and anthemic record; and it may just end up being your record of the year, even if you buy it right now.