The Brighton Port Authority

I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

[3/5]

With all of those aliases-Britpop bassist of the Housemartins, big beat blacksmith of Mighty Dub Katz and Fatboy Slim-we have to wonder: Does Norman Cook ever accidentally mistake himself for someone else? Cook adds another stamp to his sonic passport with the Brighton Port Authority, elaborate (fake) history and all, stealing a bit from each of his artistic ports of call for I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat. Willfully eclectic and sporadically energetic, the BPA brew a schizoid stew from a disparate crew: the cadaverous croon of Iggy Pop; the seductive smolder of Martha Wainwright; the WTF?-itude of David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal. And even if this Boat doesn’t always stay afloat, Cook’s eager-to-please melodic sensibilities can still get jaws a-smilin’. (SOUTHERN FRIED; southernfriedrecords.com) Erick Haight