by J.Paul

This record starts out with "He's Frank" a groovy, chilled out tune with Iggy Pop in full on Avenue B, grouchy old man singspeak mode. The music is head-bobbingly catchy and sounds like it might have been lifted from a commercial for sofa coverings, circa 1967. Kind of like something mundane is trying to be really happy and awesome, and it's succeeding admirably.

I break down the rest of the songs after the jump...


Time for a jolt into something totally incongruous. The second song "Dirty Sheets" has a glitchy, angular industrial guitar riff laid over a very minimalist drumbeat. Pete York's singing is kinda meh, as is the rest of the song. Not much going on here and something I'm guessing I'd skip as I walked around town with my headphones in.

"Jumps the Fence" starts off with fast, happy beats and stays that way. Maybe this should have been the second song. Connan Mockasin sings in a kind of almost flu-infected sounding light British accent over those beats, some dreamy guitar bits here and there and some faint strings that weave in and out.

"Should I stay or Should I Blow" has this awesome Jamaican ska/organ grinder vibe to it that makes it the easiest song so far to dig into. Ashley Beedle's voice is a breath of fresh air after the last two songs. This is pop simplicity at it's best and definitely could have been a single.  Makes me want to skank around the deck of an old cruise ship in high shorts and boat shoes.

Lush strings-from-a-keyboard start "Island" off in a pleasant enough place. This kind of sounds like how a sunrise walk of confusion and shame feels after a night of depravity. This is your life post-moment of clarity and pre-catatonic regret and it's beautiful. Justin Robertson's voice is soothing and reflective while the music does it's minimal best to support him and stay out of the way.

So "Local Town" starts off with a pseudo-menacing bass line that ends up being the driving force of the entire song. It's a bit of a slow build into halfway bouncy midtempo popsong territory.  The best word for this song is "inoffensive."  Not quite throwaway but far from a highlight.

That status is reached again on this record by "Seattle" a pretty, breathy pop song with a strong beat and a totally uplifting vibe.  Emmy the Great serves up inspired, almost wide-eyed vocals here and is complemented by a simple melody that weaves it's way throughout the song; it swells in the right spots and takes a backseat
appropriately in others.  Beautiful.

"Spade" is a groovy, meandering dub song with room-filling vocals provided by Martha Wainwright.  Definitely a 7.5 out of ten and a standout track.  Not much else to say about it as it's one of the most straightforward numbers on this record.

The next song "Superman" could almost be called "Island: the Reprise" as the vibe is quite similar, if not as successful overall.  It's a sweet song lyrically, which is rare on this record as most of the tracks don't feature words worth remembering.  Simon Thornton sings in a raspier, breathier style and has more of an pronounced British accent than Justin Robertson, but he makes up for it by being all swagger and charm.

"Superlover" is a bit of a snoozer in it's kind of half assed attempt at being a torch song.  Cagedbaby sounds a little drowned in the mix as he tries to sing.  I only let this song play about a third of the time when it pops, depending on what I'm doing and my mood.  Another half-step above mediocrity.

THE BPA - THE BPA 'TOE JAM' FEAT. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL from Fabio Resende on Vimeo.


My favorite song on the album absolutely sounds like it was lifted from some long-forgotten teen dance show from the '60's.  The video for "Toe Jam" has tons of nekkid people and the most clever, hilarious use of black censorship bars ever. Also, hearing David Byrne dryly intone "Every day is fucking perfect, it's a paradise" will make you feel better, guaranteed. This song makes me want to dance and puts me in a good mood at the same time.  If it doesn't brighten your day, then you're probably dead.  Dizzee Rascal is brilliant as well in his hyperactive breakdown mid-song.  Pairing these two is totally perfect.

The album closes with "So It Goes" featuring Olly Hite's vocal stylings and some sweet '60's Soul influenced keys throughout.  It's a fantastic, fun closer to what is absolutely a mish-mash of an experience overall.  However, with the songs taken individually and with the concept that this is a project album for a far-flung, highly varied group of singers and musicians "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat" is mostly successful.  The highlights are spectacular and warrant repeat listens to soak in every little groove and thankfully the less stellar stuff is usually enjoyable enough not to skip.  Except "Dirty Sheets," that thing never should have been recorded at all.  Hopefully this isn't the last we get to hear from this talented collective.