Sea of Brass

Personnel: Yan , Hamilton (vocals, guitar); Noble (guitar, background vocals); Abi Fry (viola, background vocals); Phil Sumner (cornet, keyboards, background vocals); Wood (drums); Anthony Mann, Andrew Stevenson, Joe Murtagh, Adam Bokaris, Robert Wilshaw, Richard Poole , Robin Basu, Sam Minshall, Sarah Lenton, Steven Riddler, Shaun Farrington, Jonny Shaw, Mark Bousie , Mike Warriner, Mel Whyle, Neil Raisbeck, Paul McDonald , Andy Rolfe, Andrew Howard-Smith, Ian Raisbeck, Helen Williams , Elizabeth Tonge, Dave McGlynn, Craig Mann , Bradley McCulloch, Mark Wilkinson , John Barber , Mark Landon.
Audio Mixer: Mike Lord.
Recording information: Blueprint Studios, Manchester; Brighton Electric, Brighton.
Photographers: Yan ; Elisa Dhervillers.
Arranger: Peter Wraight.
British Sea Power's signature brand of sepia-toned post-rock has always carried with it a considerable measure of nostalgia, but with Sea of Brass, they may have finally reached official faded wartime postcard status. Released in conjunction with a live DVD of the same name, Sea of Brass sees the East Sussex collective revisiting eight songs from their back catalog and sprucing them up with a full brass orchestra. The studio version of the LP features the Cheshire-based Fodens Band, founded in 1900 thank you very much, while the concert album/DVD, which was filmed at the esteemed London music hall the Barbican, relies on the talents of the Redbridge Brass Band. Weighted toward the group's more meandering, slow to midtempo material, Sea of Brass has more in common with film-related BSP works like Man of Aran and From the Sea to the Land Beyond than it does the nervy post-punk emissions of Decline of British Sea Power or the roaring, stadium-ready indie rock of Do You Like Rock Music? ~ James Christopher Monger