Eccentric Brighton rockers British Sea Power have never been ones to toe the party line. With their previous two albums - 2003's The Decline of British Sea Power and 2005's Open Season, they appealed to fans of deliberate, whimsically intense indie, amassed a fanbase that verges on rabid, and made a point of staging the most bizarre gigs possible (hand-picked flora, plastic fauna and a ten-foot stuffed bear are all regularly-featured props). Still, it was clear that despite their charming idiosyncrasies, solid output and critical acclaim, they were a niche band, with music that required time and patience in order to reward. Their third album, the scampishly-titled Do You Like Rock Music? had critics salivating at the mouth upon its recent release; comparisons to Arcade Fire were thrown around willy-nilly, and it cast a glimmer of hope that this was finally the BSP album to balance accessibility and nuttiness without compromising either. It's certainly more accessible than their previous output, but as a collection of songs, it still requires patience and time to deliver. The Arcade Fire analogies are puzzling, too; apart from the same 'wide-open-spaces' sound that the Canucks employ, there's no real basis for comparison. British Sea Power are distinctly British-sounding, and on the likes of Trip Out, Lights Out for Darker Skies and the excellent, concise Down on the Ground, have more in common with a more languid Prefab Sprout or a more thoughtful Supergrass. Most of the tracks here are slow-building and multi-layered, with detached, introspective instrumentation and breathy, drawling vocals. The anthemic Waving Flags and current single No Lucifer are particular high points, but although there's no real fault to be picked with Do You Like Rock Music?, something just doesn't quite add up. As frontman Yan sings on the frantic Atom: 'I just don't get it'. Yeah, me neither.
