Ocean Colour Scene - Saturday
Trudging on years after their peak.
As one of the few remaining Britpop bands, Ocean Colour Scene have somehow survived. With the core of the band still intact and only a few label changes, they are still trudging on years after their peak. Releasing some fairly decent material (‘I Just Got Over You’ being their greatest single of the last decade) and still playing relatively large gigs, they release ‘Saturday’ in time for their 21st anniversary.
On first listen, it’s pretty clear that OCS haven’t strayed into a new electro feel of their ninth album. They are still focused deeply in nostalgia, where in their world (apart from Paul Weller) music died after 1979. Although not exactly the sound of an album that will capture a new generation of fans, they can still write a few quality tunes. Album opener ‘100 Floors of Perception’ is a bombast of sound, full of confidence and swagger, a surprise for a band who are a long way from their former 90s glory days. The latest single ‘Saturday’ is rich in pub rock majesty, whilst ‘Magic Carpet Days‘ sparkles but never shines and ‘Mrs Maylie’ maybe their first ever dip into rock opera territory a la The Who. Elsewhere there are numerous nods to The Byrds, Small Faces and Ray Davies at their most creative. It’s a fond reminder of what a remarkable voice Simon Fowler has - an underestimated singer who can bark, growl and whimper with the best of them.
OCS can still work out a decent fan pleasing album, but for them to ever get to the heights of their former years they will need an anthem twice the size of ‘The Day We Caught The Train’, and sadly, on ‘Saturday’, none of their offerings are that song.
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