British Sea Power’s newest release Zeus is a self-proclaimed “maxi-EP” featuring 43 minutes of fresh tunes from the Brighton quartet. These songs are the first the world has heard from British Sea Power since 2007’s critically acclaimed Do You Like Rock Music? Since then, the group released a soundtrack to the 1934 silent film Man of Aran in 2009, although heralding little attention. The EP, which contains seven tracks, is being treated more or less like a “mini album,” a predecessor to their upcoming full-length album, Valhalla Dancehall, set to release in January 2011.
The record starts out majestically with the title track “Zeus,” a seven-minute power-rock trip through British Sea Power-land. A sweeping epic saga of layered guitars and rhythms, British Sea Power takes the simple equation of verse-chorus-verse and makes it algebraic. “Cleaning Out the Rooms,” also clocking in at the seven-minute mark, is equally as enchanting as its’ predecessor, a visceral soundscape of dream-like vocals and fuzzed out guitars. These two tracks could easily stand alone as a strong EP, however for reasons unbeknownst, there are five more tracks following that just don’t quite measure up.
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Following the first two tracks, British Sea Power seems to go into personality crisis. The ’70s style Brit-punk temper tantrum “Can We Do It?” stands out like a sore thumb amongst a collection of more mature and refined songs. “Pardon My Friends” is one of the weaker tracks, an impromptu-sounding ballad that sounds like a behind-the-scenes studio clip. The final track, “kWh,” is a vocoder-dominated Gary Glitter-esque attempt at a stadium rock hit that doesn’t quite make it to the stadium. Perhaps more appropriate for a commercial advertising robots, like most of these songs it just doesn’t quite fit.
A lesson in the power of good editing, Zeus is a perfect record to tide over super-fans waiting for the new album. On a commercial level, however, Zeus‘s ego seems gets the better of it, mucking up what should be a brief yet still cohesive collection of songs.
(Rough Trade Records, 66 Golborne Road, London, W10 5PS, UK)