Who Are The BPA ?
The BPA, which is short for The Brighton Port Authority, is famed electronica artist Norman Cook’s (Fatboy Slim) latest foray into mainstream music. Cook, always a fan of making the quirky and awkward into the fabulously relevant, attempts to pass off The BPA as a collection of rumored tapes and demos from a fabled collaboration in the 70s. Sort of a “well, I heard” phenom, a street myth, a series of tight-lipped sound bytes from various artists like Iggy Pop and David Byrne who claimed to know less than they let on. It’s a cute façade, really. It does nothing, however, to support the music. Sure, I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat (named after the line in the film Jaws) has a fun, groovy swagger to it, but lacks the ideals and statements intrinsic in music of that time. I’m not citing this as a fault, far from it actually. The BPA’s album is perfect for what it is: laidback poptronica.
A "Toe Jam" That You Can Tap Your Toes To
Take lead single “Toe Jam,” featuring legendary singer David Byrne and UK chart sensation Dizzee Rascal. The track is a carefree electronic romp. Accompanying it is a cute and clever video, shot in a film style that echoes low-budget pornographic films from the 70’s, in which a group of gals and gents strip down and dance around. Censor bars, blocking their privates, and censor bubbles, blocking their middle fingers, are present while the cast moves and contorts their bodies, forming the bars and dots into shapes, actions, and words. Seeing what these people will do to cause the bars to dis- and reappear is humorous and enthralling. This lazy energy sprawls all over I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat, from the minimalist “Seattle” with newcomer Emmy the Great to the ragga-beat supporting Martha Wainwright on “Spade” and everything inbetween. Pete York returns with the rockish “Dirty Sheets,” his latest collaboration after his additions to Fatboy Slim’s last album, Palookaville. Chiming in with a cover of the Monochrome Set, Iggy Pop’s alarmingly deep vocals slide all over “He’s Frank (Slight Return),” the album’s third single.
The Boat Is Sometimes A Bit Out There
Some of the album feels sleepy, set at a too grueling pace, or too “out there.” I’ve always preferred some sort of forward impetus in my slow songs. I like something to latch onto, a reason to listen. Mellow songs with no drama leave me feeling droopy-eyed. “Superlover” and “Island” both fall into this category for me. Conversely, when a song tries too hard to be distinctive, it ends up like that painting in the art gallery with shards of metal sticking through the blood-red and canary-yellow painted canvas. You sort of look at it, thinking “Well, the artist either got really angry, or went bat-crap insane. One of the two.” “Jumps the Fence,” ridiculous and repetitive lyrics sung by Connan Hosford, is one such track.
Summary
The music style remains relatively consistent across the board but the plethora of guests vocalists distract. Rather than feeling like a cohesive album, I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat sounds more like a greatest hits compilation. I like some of the stylistic directions Cook has taken with The BPA, though, despite the fabricated back-story.
Released January 2009 on Southern Fried Records
