Song: “Who’s In Control?”
Artist: British Sea Power

British Sea Power asked the world, “Do You Like Rock Music?“, on their 2008 LP. I offered a wholehearted “Yes!”, but those cynical snobs at Pitchfork offered them a rating of U.2 out of 10, instead. I suppose it was an indulgent and bombastic record, sure, a divisive point of contention between rock purists and those always looking for the newest, edgiest, trendiest trend. I’m not saying those are mutually exclusive goals, but I think it’s a far cry from a coincidence that Track 1 on their latest LP asks, “Who’s In Control?” (I should say that, chronologically, they’ve released a retro-fitting soundtrack to a 1930s documentary film, but that ruins my narrative, so fuck it.) Musically, this song fully embraces the out-and-out arena-rock style of their previous albums, full of anthemic vocal yelps, rising guitar riffs, and pounding drum fills. It’s unapologetically epic, and I love them for that. It doesn’t bring me any closer to answering the titular question, but it certainly keeps me from getting past Side 1 of this double LP…

—Cheers, Brendan

British Sea Power / Who Is In Control?

[Song diary is a random but reoccurring segment where we highlight specific songs that have been living inside our heads while staying away from all the album and band specifics. Sometimes their ours, sometimes other peoples. Email us if you want to do one! Think of it like a virtual mix tape that's always being updated. Click the tab up top to open a new window so you can listen to all the songs on one music player]

Filed under: Not Blake, Jim, or Brendan, Song Diary