{$British Sea Power}'s 2003 debut album was a fascinating {\post-punk}-inspired set that sparked artful originality and thought-provoking emotion. Their follow-up, {^Open Season}, does the same but it's much more of a streamlined affair. {^Open Season} is virtually a 45-minute waltz of lilting string arrangements and dreamy vocals while acoustic and electric guitars chase the album's quiet golden tones. A theme of the great outdoors makes it a relaxed occasion from start to finish; the 11 songs featured aren't a schoolbook interpretation on life's hardships as much as they are a reflection on the confusion (and love) of nature. Frontman {$Yan} and his brother {$Hamilton} remain charming eccentrics, but this time they're poetic with their stoic, overcast outlook on modern life. The question {$Yan} seems to ask throughout {^Open Season} is whether or not life is really crap. Commencing with the copper-toned {&"It Ended on an Oily Stage,"} {$Yan} softly croons, "We found God in a parking lot." He ponders whether the experience was actually real, and if it has ever happened to anyone. {&"How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?,"} an emotional seesaw of crunchy guitars and sheeting percussion, is oddly comfortable with the album's continuous mental inquisitions. The bird echoes of {&"Please Stand Up"} match the ice-capped perils of {&"Oh Larsen B,"} maintaining the album's rich affections. Some might think that the five Cumbrian intellectuals have made their shining {\pop} moment with this record despite {$British Sea Power} making it quite obvious on {^The Decline of...} that they're anything but a {\pop} band. {$British Sea Power}'s smart approach on {^Open Season} showcases a band in progress. This album feels alive and breathes honesty. Such an impression once again makes way for {$British Sea Power} to stand apart from their counterparts ({$Doves}, {$Coldplay}, {$South}). ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide