British Sea Power's debut disc announced a fresh experimental voice, that of a band not afraid to sabotage catchy hooks with aggressive noise. But the group squanders its potential on Open Season, an uninspired yawner that makes the title of its previous record (The Decline of British Sea Power) seem eerily prescient. Open Season resembles a compilation of the least lively numbers from forgotten 1980s movies. After sanding down his raspy edges, singer Yan (BSP's members use single-word monikers) sounds like a somnolent Richard Butler. Wood's drumming tries to pound life into comatose compositions, but he ends up beating dead dancing horses. The group jams a bit during "Oh Larsen B," an aptly glacial ode to Antarctic ice shelves, and works up a flurry during the closing seconds of the placid album-ender, "True Adventures," but the other nine tracks remake this once ambitious act as a blandly buoyant pop outfit.
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