OCS A What?
Well I must be getting old because it doesn't seem like fifteen years that Ocean Colour Scene have been around, but this Birmingham band have been and are still going strong. This is one band that can boast some quite high profile fans, such as U2's The Edge, Paul Weller, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Pete Townsend and Kate Moss. So really they must be something really special, they must be about to wake up the rock scene in the UK.
Well ' A Hyperactive Workout For The Flying Squad' is the bands seventh studio album, and is hot on the heels of the live album that they released last September. Is it a hyperactive workout? I would say not, unless this is a workout for us fatties and I can cope with the pace of this workout. This is the sort of album that you could listen to on a Sunday morning while perusing the morning's papers without disturbing the neighbours.
Who will love this album? Well you know those blokes that you see wearing Pringle Jumpers, pristine white trainers and jeans, and still think they are uber cool. Yes you can see him in the pub, talking about that great round of golf, while drinking his pint of lager and lime.
There are some great rock tunes on the album such as, 'Everything Comes At The Right Time', 'Wah Wah' and 'Free My Name'. There is some very distinct dross on the album too, 'I Love You', 'Move Things Over', 'Waving Not Drowning', I could go on.
This album is very much the mirror image of Ocean Colour Scene's life in the music business. They have promised so much, but failed to deliver. This is album is a reminder of why they so very nearly made it to the top, but some how contrived to fall at the final stages.
You cannot hate this album, but you can't love it either, but you can listen to it on an easy Sunday morning. I am very sure that there is somebody out there that will love it, just hope he doesn’t spill his lager and lime over my trainers!