Brassbound - Ordinary Boys (The)

Last year seen a number of new British bands break into the music scene, with the NME taking a number of them under their wing as the latest darlings. One of those bands were The Ordinary Boys from Brighton. They'd supported Morrissey in Manchester and appeared at a couple of festivals, making a name for themselves amongst the Indie fraternity. This year has seen them return with the follow up to their debut album, the Brit pop fuelled Under The ...
...out with little or no publicity and it was only by chance I came across it in HMV.

The band had quite a retro feel to their debut album and the heavy Morrissey and Weller like influence has been moved on slightly. They now seem to have incorporated more of a SKA and Reggae feel to the follow up. Rather than totally overhaul the sound that made the first album so successful they've blended the styles together. The SKA and Reggae feel ... more

Last year seen a number of new British bands break into the music scene, with the NME taking a number of them under their wing as the latest darlings. One of those bands were The Ordinary Boys from Brighton. They'd supported Morrissey in Manchester and appeared at a couple of festivals, making a name for themselves amongst the Indie fraternity. This year has seen them return with the follow up to their debut album, the Brit pop fuelled Under The Counter Culture. The second album seems to have been sneaked out with little or no publicity and it was only by chance I came across it in HMV.

The band had quite a retro feel to their debut album and the heavy Morrissey and Weller like influence has been moved on slightly. They now seem to have incorporated more of a SKA and Reggae feel to the follow up. Rather than totally overhaul the sound that made the first album so successful they've blended the styles together. The SKA and Reggae feel was detectible on the first album but this album seems to have brought it out of the shadows and mixing in with the Brit pop sound that made them such a hit.

The first thing that seems to be clear from the second album is a more mature sound to the lyrics. It seems that lead singer Sam Preston has taken a lot out of the bands experience of making the debut album and it's reflected throughout this album. Each track seems to have a message behind it and the lyrics really reflect this perfectly. There is a touch of Morrissey about a few of the tracks and lyrically "Life Will Be The Death Of Me" is a perfect example of this. It does however show that Sam has learnt a few things from Artists he admires while he worked with them and taken a few tips on board.

It seems to be a good progression from the debut effort and along with a new maturity in the lyrical content it's also evident in the musical style. Having changed personnel slightly the Ordinary Boys slight change of style seems to have been a good idea. There are a couple of tracks that would have fitted in nicely with the last album and these tracks act as a transition between the bands new sound and the old. The introduction of the more SKA and Reggae approach is of real benefit to the album.

Each track is backed up by a solid drumbeat that never seems to falter throughout the album. Added to this is a solid Bass line that blends in nicely with the drums to give each track a fast paced vibe. On top of theta the guitars blend in nicely with that and the SKA styled trumpets and trombone riffs over the top off each track. All this seems to work nicely to highlight the best parts of Sam Preston's vocals, which was slightly weaker on the previous album. The first single to be taken from the album, "Boys Will Be Boys" is the perfect example of what this album is all about.

Throughout the album it has quite a fast pace that fits in quite nicely with the summer vibe and the nice weather. It would seem that The Ordinary Boys are masters at making feel good summer songs and just about every track on this album falls into that category. The pace of the album also ensures that the tracks drift past quite quickly and it's an album I can hear a couple of times over before I even realise that it's finished once, never mind 3 times.

There are a couple of tracks that instantly grabbed my attention when I first listened to the album. I'd heard the first single a couple of times and quite liked it, but it was opener and title track "Brassbound" and "On An Island" that really hooked me on the album. From there though I'd say my favourite track would have to be the aforementioned "Life Will Be The Death Of Me", with it's Morrissey like lyrics and fast paced SKA styled musical approach. And liked the first album there is also a SKA styled cover in the form of "Rudi's In Love" by Birmingham 60's outfit Locomotive, which is actually rather good.

Overall it's a decent follow up to the bands debut album. In fact I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first. They are a good live band and this seems to be an album packed full of songs that will go down well when ever they play them. The quiet nature with which the album has been released won't improve the bands fan base but one listen to the album should do all the talking. The bands new direction works for them and if you liked the first album or the recent single "Boys Will Be Boys" then this album will not disappoint.

Amazon.co.uk: £8.99
 

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