Interesting Experiment
Riding on the crest of a wave that has seen them play sold out gig after sold out gig since February, but with no new album due for several months, Ordinary Boys are satisfying the post Big Brother demand with a collaboration with rapper Lady Sovereign.
'Nine2five' came about when the two parties swapped songs to see how it would work. The track retains the urban edge and female backing vocals but has the Ordinary Boys trade mark Ska influenced indie rock slotting in effortlessly for verses and the surface of the chorus. Preston's distinctive Sugs like vocals fit in well with the rest of the track, making this an interesting experiment.
Considering the song on it's own merit, sadly it doesn't come close to some of the band's finer earlier songs. The cynic in me can't help but think this is as much about keeping the band in the public eye: "now your in heat magazine boys, release something to remind the general public that you have records to sell". I have absolutely no problem with that, if it is part of the motivation, I simply wonder if this would have come out had the celeb status of the lead singer not risen beyond recognition thanks to a certain TV show.
For me, knowing what they have done in the past, bring on some new material, it will be very interesting to hear how it turns out.