Over The Counterculture, Well That's Right Where You Belong (Over The Counter Culture - Ordinary Boys)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Over The Counter Culture - Ordinary Boys
Date:	09/02/06 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent debut album, Some really good tracks that really stand out

Disadvantages: There are a couple of tracks that people may not like

While the Big Brother house seems to have introduced a much wider spectrum of fans to Preston and The Ordinary Boys it can only be considered a good thing for their career. At the moment “Boys Will Be Boys” seems to be one of the songs of the moment. The Brighton band had been plodding around the album charts for years but it seems the Big Brother appearance from Preston has seen them make a break into the singles chart as well. It was back in 2004 when they burst onto the scene at Glastonbury and then supporting Morrissey that really brought them to my attention.

This is the bands debut album released in July 2004, around the same time as the appearances I mentioned above. There were rumblings on the Indie/Rock music scene about them but they didn’t seem to be anywhere near the amount of media coverage The Arctic Monkeys are currently enjoying. What little hype there was though was thoroughly deserved and from a personal point of view it was one of my favourite albums of the year. In fact I think it spent about a month and a half in my CD player before I finally changed it.

The band clearly have a number of defined influences and in particular this album can easily be compared to the likes of Britpop Blur and The Jam. There are also hints of The Specials and The Smiths within the album as well. Even the bands name is influenced by The Smiths and more correctly Smiths front man Morrissey, who wrote a track called “The Ordinary Boys”. While the band have slightly changed direction and the latest album has more of a SKA/Reggae feel to it this album is certainly planted firmly in the Indie/Rock genre.

If there is one thing I love about this album it’s the simple, but somehow massively addictive beats and guitar riffs that the album seems to be full of. The guitars throughout the album keep a simple pace and that really makes it easy listening and particularly addictive. Blended in nicely with a decent bass line it would seem that the purpose of this debut was to create a core fan base and I would say that just about ever track is quality and would do just that. The drums add another element to each track and help give the album a bit of direction and purpose while offsetting Preston’s vocals throughout the entire album.

It’s also due to Preston’s vocals and his ability to write quite simplistic tracks that have enhanced the appeal of The Ordinary Boys. While his recent appearance on Big Brother has given the band a bit of publicity at least unlike a lot of artists the band have two decent albums and an incredible amount of talent to fall back on. His vocals don’t sound as crisp on this debut effort and I think that gives the album a bit of an edge as it doesn’t sound over produced. His vocals sound quite immersed in each track and it seems to really bring a sense of passion to each of the tracks.

I think as debut albums go it certainly is a good one. While personally I don’t actually dislike any of the tracks I can see a couple that could put people off. For instance the SKA influences on “Little Bitch” may not be to everyone’s taste but it does show some promise of the route the band seem to be taking now. Likewise I think there will be a few that can’t stand “The List Goes On” as it sounds like they are taking it too seriously but personally I quite like it and I can’t even put a finger on the reason why. It’s a look at the current musical scene from the Brighton newcomers and there is just something quite refreshing about it.

From a personal point of view though there are really two tracks that stand out and make the album sound so good. The first of those it’s the albums title track “Over The Counter Culture”. It has a pretty fast pace and can easily be compared to The Jam in terms of pace and musical ability. A lot of the tracks seem to be focused on a certain part of British lifestyles and in particular this one seems to be picking up on catalogues and buying things on credit. The other track that really stands out is “Weekend Revolution”. Again it’s quite fast paced and I think it really highlights where Preston’s vocals are at their best.

Overall this is a pretty solid debut album from The Ordinary Boys and was certainly a good way to announce their arrival on the music scene. They are probably better known at the moment for Preston and Chantelle in the Big Brother house but it’s all publicity for the band and I certainly don’t think it will do any damage to their musical careers, infact quite the opposite. If you have come across the band because of Big Brother then I strongly recommend you buy this album. Likewise if you’re a fan of Indie/Rock with a smear of pop then this should already be in your record collection, if not, go and buy it.

Amazon: £8.99
Amazon Marketplace: £6.48

Summary: One of the best debut albums of 2004