Open Season (British Sea Power album)
Open Season is the second album from the Brighton-based English band, British Sea Power. It was released on 4 April 2005 to positive reviews. It showcased a more accessible, mainstream sound and reached No. 13 in the UK Albums Chart. Almost all of the songs on the album were recorded with Mads Bjerke, who had previously worked with the band on their 2003 album, The Decline of British Sea Power and also with Primal Scream, Girls Aloud and Spiritualized, and mixed by Bill Price, with the exceptions of "Please Stand Up" and "North Hanging Rock", which were produced and mixed by Graham Sutton and engineered by Phill Brown. "Oh Larsen B" was recorded by George Apsion and Tariq Zaid Al-Nasrawi. Two singles were released from the album, "It Ended on an Oily Stage" (UK No. 18) and "Please Stand Up" (UK No. 34).
Open Season | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 April 2005 | |||
Recorded | Kore Studios, London and Rockfield Studios, South Wales in 2004 | |||
Genre | Post-punk revival Indie rock | |||
Length | 46:36 | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Producer | Mads Bjerke / Graham Sutton | |||
British Sea Power chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Pitchfork Media | (7.8/10)[3] |
PopMatters | (4/10)[4] |
When the CD is rewound 2:31 before the first track, an organ version of the song "How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?" is found.
The lyrics and title of "Oh Larsen B" refer to the Antarctic Peninsula ice shelf Larsen B, which collapsed in 2002, a few years before the release of the album.[5]
Track listing
- "It Ended on an Oily Stage" (Hamilton/Noble/Wood/Yan) – 4:23
- "Be Gone" (Yan) – 2:52
- "How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?" (Hamilton) – 3:11
- "Like a Honeycomb" (Yan) – 4:31
- "Please Stand Up" (Yan) – 3:07
- "North Hanging Rock" (Yan) – 4:26
- "To Get to Sleep" (Hamilton/Noble/Wood/Yan) – 3:16
- "Victorian Ice" (Yan) – 3:26
- "Oh Larsen B" (Yan) – 5:30
- "The Land Beyond" (Hamilton) – 4:01
- "True Adventures" (Hamilton) – 7:52
Japanese release bonus track
- "Don't You Want to Be a Bird?" (Hamilton) – 2:55
Personnel
- Yan – vocals, guitar, piano, organ
- Hamilton – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals
- Noble – guitar, piano, backing vocals, organ
- Wood – drums
Additional personnel
- Abi Fry – viola
- Phil Sumner – cornet
- Graham Sutton – string arrangements and additional programming
- Axl – miniature Italian greyhound
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog number | Chart Peak |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 4 April 2005 | Rough Trade Records | CD | RTRADCD200 | 13 |
United Kingdom | 4 April 2005 | Rough Trade Records | LP | RTRADLP200 | |
Japan | 30 March 2005 | Toy's Factory | CD | TFCK-87384 |
References
- "Open Season - British Sea Power | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "Blender is coming soon". Blender.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchforkmedia.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- Alexis Petridis (25 March 2005). "British Sea Power, Open Season (Pop CD of the week)". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
Oh Larsen B, meanwhile, is the catchiest song ever to concern itself with the fate of a collapsing ice shelf