British Sea Power

By titling their 2003 debut full-length The Decline of British Sea Power, Scott Wilkinson and his shipmates seemed determined to lower expectations. In contrast, the moniker affixed to the outfit's latest album — Do You Like Rock Music?, recently issued on the Rough Trade imprint — is practically a dare, implying that anyone who doesn't dig the disc should abandon the genre and listen exclusively to klezmer from now on. Luckily, the songs are typically strong and accessible, with lyrics that exude a certain bookishness. For instance, "Waving Flags" juxtaposes heartfelt paeans to beer with lines such as "Oh, welcome in! Cross the Carpathians!" From a musical standpoint, though, the act, which shares this bill with Colourmusic and Rabbit Is a Sphere, continues to traffic in the same sort of big guitars and anthemic choruses that have been a U.K. staple for more than a quarter-century. A few more surprises would have made Rock Music even easier to like.