Ocean Colour Scene

As with their last couple of records, we get an assortment of mod-pop grooves, a few ballads and a token appearance by Paul Weller, returning the favour to the boys who helped him in his own band. Make no mistake — One For the Modern is a great record and a fine way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of these Northern English hipsters. Their tunes would sound every bit as good cruising an interstate highway as they would tearing along the M1. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing to get lost in the translation, as was the case with much of Blur’s material and many of the other Anglo-centric popsters. Those who take chances will be rewarded with 11 strong new tracks that demonstrate very tight musicianship and well-crafted songwriting. This is darker material and perhaps shows signs of personal wear and tear for a band who have had a long, difficult fight along their musical career.