British Sea Power - 'Man of Aran' (Rough Trade) Released 18/05/09

If you were simply to hear the premise of a contemporary band attempting to soundtrack a critically lauded, 1934, black and white, silent film about island life, the chances are you might guess that British Sea Power would be that group. Yes, the oft under-rated (less so post-mercury nominated ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’), and regularly miss-labelled “quirky” group have turned their attention to the ‘Man of Aran’ - an uncompromising task to say the least.

It would seem the perfect marriage - the subject matter of the film being the brutally difficult day to day life of those populating an island so remote that even soil must be gathered from deep between rocky crevices, and the nature-loving, almost old-worldly BSP. Well, the band certainly delivers an epic album comprising 12 tracks of original and re-worked material - the latter being the immediate stand-out pieces. This is, however, namely down to the fact that they are the most complete sounding and accompany the most poignant moments of the film. Most notable are closers ‘It Comes Back Again’ (‘True Adventures’) and ‘No Man is an Archipelago’ (‘The Great Skua’) sound-tracking the men of the island returning to shore in hellish high waters. Incidentally, ‘The Great Skua’ was originally an instrumental, and is one so beautifully constructed that you could play it over an advert for a particularly dull brand of paint and still feel genuinely moved.
 
On the whole, the original works are generally sparser, more ambient affairs, which, although fitting to the film, does not necessarily make them great stand-alone tracks. Unfortunately, the one time the band decides to stray from their melodic, reserved approach they end up delivering a crushing blow of inappropriateness. The ‘Spearing of the Sunfish’ is not only a sub-standard “chugging” noisy rock riff, but within the soundtrack context is a completely baffling choice, almost indescribably so.  As we witness the crew of a flimsy row boat wrestle with a basking shark the piece seems almost palatable, but when the action subsides the noise continues, puzzlingly right through several changes of mood.    
 
In terms of the work as a soundtrack, the music is apt and emotive, the listener swayed by ties to corresponding stark scenes from the movie. As a stand-alone album their may not be quite enough substance. There are, of course, exceptions to this - tracks such as ‘Woman of Aran’ and ‘Come Wander with Me’ (the only piece containing lyrics) are achingly well crafted and impressive however you approach them, but it is still difficult to imagine listening to the album in its entirety regularly.
 
The sheer ambition of the group to take on such a monumental task, and perform it live, is worthy of praise alone. The moments where all falls into place are magnificent and genuinely moving, driving home what are already epic images. The only disappointment here is the feeling that the band couldn’t resist throwing in a token “rock” song. Nevertheless, this is another string to what is becoming an increasingly impressive bow and will no doubt whet many an appetite for a fourth album.