Bombay Bicycle Club is a very unique—and uniquely complex—pop group. A series of three albums over as many years, supplemented by a handful of singles and EPs, brought BBC a slow rumble of appreciation in its native England. By rights, the band’s fourth album ought to be the one that brings it the recognition that’s so far eluded it in the U.S., because So Long, See You Tomorrow (Vagrant) is, even on first listen, an LP that announces a sea change in a group’s approach, in the vein of Revolver or Pet Sounds. That’s high praise, but So Long is, among other things, the most sonically complex of all the band’s records. BBC—guitarist/vocalist Jack Steadman, guitarist Jamie MacColl, drummer Suren de Saram and bassist Ed Nash—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the band.
Steadman: My first visit to Japan was fleeting, as were so many trips made with the band. Lights and sounds merely flashed past, and I arrived back home slightly bewildered, jet lagged and desperate to go back as soon as possible. And I have been returning, every year for the last five. I fell in love with the unexpected serenity of busy Tokyo, the politeness, the pride that is put into every daily activity. It is a crate digger’s heaven. I spend way too much money on records when I’m over there. All second hand, but having been in the hands of the Japanese, in mint condition. I love how every independent establishment in Tokyo reflects its owner’s taste. The tiny five-seat bars full of trinkets and photos are where I spend my evenings, and my morning hangover is quelled in the “onsen” (hot spring bath).
Video after the jump.
