The Decline of British Sea Power (2003) is the debut album from British Sea Power

British Sea Power

British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...

. "The Lonely

The Lonely (song)

"The Lonely" is a song by British Sea Power. The song was the group's third single and their second on Rough Trade. It was their first single to garner much press coverage and resulted in a pleasing chart position. Unusually, the nominal a-side actually features as the flipside on both versions....

", "Carrion

Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life

"Carrion"/"Apologies to Insect Life" was a double a-side release by British Sea Power. Both songs feature on their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power, and this was the first single to be issued after its release. The single received rave reviews and was the band's first Top 40 hit...

" and "Remember Me" were all released as singles from the album, as well as older recordings of "Fear of Drowning

Fear of Drowning

"Fear of Drowning" is a song by British Sea Power, which was the group's very first single release. It was a self-financed single issued on their own Golden Chariot label, and mainly sold at concerts. Only 1,000 CD copies were pressed and these became the most collectable, and thus valuable,...

" and "Remember Me", which differ from the versions on this album. While not a best seller, through word of mouth the band have sold over 60,000 copies of the album so far.

Track listing

1. "Men Together Today" – 0:41
2. "Apologies to Insect Life
   Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life
   "Carrion"/"Apologies to Insect Life" was a double a-side release by British Sea Power. Both songs feature on their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power, and this was the first single to be issued after its release. The single received rave reviews and was the band's first Top 40 hit...
   
   "(Hamilton/Noble/Wood/Yan) – 2:47
3. "Favours in the Beetroot Fields" (Yan) – 1:16
4. "Something Wicked" (Hamilton) – 3:12
5. "Remember Me" (Yan) – 3:10
6. "Fear of Drowning
   Fear of Drowning
   "Fear of Drowning" is a song by British Sea Power, which was the group's very first single release. It was a self-financed single issued on their own Golden Chariot label, and mainly sold at concerts. Only 1,000 CD copies were pressed and these became the most collectable, and thus valuable,...
   
   " (Yan) – 4:26
7. "The Lonely
   The Lonely (song)
   "The Lonely" is a song by British Sea Power. The song was the group's third single and their second on Rough Trade. It was their first single to garner much press coverage and resulted in a pleasing chart position. Unusually, the nominal a-side actually features as the flipside on both versions....
   
   " (Yan) – 5:12
8. "Carrion
   Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life
   "Carrion"/"Apologies to Insect Life" was a double a-side release by British Sea Power. Both songs feature on their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power, and this was the first single to be issued after its release. The single received rave reviews and was the band's first Top 40 hit...
   
   " (Hamilton/Noble/Wood/Yan) – 4:06
9. "Blackout" (Hamilton) – 3:48
10. "Lately" (Yan) – 13:58
11. "A Wooden Horse" (Yan) – 4:37

Japanese release bonus tracks

12. "Heavenly Waters" (Hamilton) – 6:35
13. "Childhood Memories" (Yan) – 3:36

US release bonus tracks

12. "Childhood Memories" (Yan) – 3:36
13. "Heavenly Waters" (Hamilton) – 6:35

British Sea Power

• Yan (Scott Wilkinson) – Vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  , guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  , organ
  Organ (music)
  The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
  
  
• Hamilton
  Hamilton (musician)
  Neil Hamilton Wilkinson is the bassist and second vocalist in British Sea Power.Earlier in the band's career, he was the secondary songwriter, his brother Yan writing the majority of the tracks for their first two albums...
  
   (Neil Hamilton Wilkinson) – vocals, bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals
• Noble
  Noble (musician)
  Martin Noble is the lead guitarist with UK indie rock band British Sea Power.Born 28 January 1986 in Bury, Greater Manchester, and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire, his first musical experience was as keyboard player in Blind, a band he formed with school friends.He joined British Sea Power after...
  
   (Martin Noble) – guitar, piano, backing vocals, organ
• Wood
  Wood (musician)
  Matthew Wood born and under the is British Sea Power's drummer. He also helps design most of the artwork for the sleeves....
  
   (Matthew Wood) – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  

Additional

• D. Sharp – French horn
  Horn (instrument)
  The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
  
   on "Blackout"
• M. J. Noble – extra backing vocals on "Men Together Today" and "Blackout"
• V. Oag – recorded sea on "Fear of Drowning"

Recording

All songs recorded by Mads Bjerke and British Sea Power at 2 kHz. Excepting "Carrion", recorded at Golden Chariot Studios, Roundhouse and 2 kHz and, with Marc Beatty, at Mockingbird Studio. "Carrion" mixed at The Townhouse by Dave Bascombe.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog number
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...	2003-06-02	Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...	CD	RTRADECD090
United Kingdom	2003-06-02	Rough Trade Records	LP	RTRADELP090
Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...	2003-08-20	Toy's Factory Toy's Factory is a Japanese record label founded in 1990 as a VAP subsidiary, based in Japan. It has since become an independent company.-Sub-Labels:* bellissima!* Carnage* Deep Blue* Idyllic* Kimi* Meme Tokyo* -Artists:*Aobozu*Armageddon*Bump of Chicken...	CD	TFCK-87329
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	2003-09-09		CD	06076-83214-2