Acoustic-Electric Guitars
Mechanical Wonder
Amazon. comThough pop, rather than rock, came to dominate the landscape in the two years since Ocean Colour Scene’s previous album, Mechanical Wonder is a stirring reaffirmation of the band’s core strengths. Frontman Simon Fowler’s wistful blue-eyed-soul vocals ensure that the album’s mood of plaintive despair is honestly rather than hysterically expressed. But the group’s expansive and crafted musicality provides the perfect counterbalance to the disappointments related in the t. . . More >>
Mechanical Wonder
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“Mechanical Wonder” is a very good album by OCS, though not their best ( that price goes to “Marchin` Already”) it`s an album that ought not be neglected
It has a terrific opener in “Up On the Downside” one of the most optimistic and rhythmical tunes they have recorded. “In My Field” and “Sail My Boat” are good tracks too.
The melancholy “The Biggest Thing” is a silent ballad, but not one of their best. Next track “We Made it More” is another ballad, but a much better song – a great track.
“Give Me a Letter” shows the boogie side of OCS, solid but quite forgettable.
The title track “Mechanical Wonder” is another highlight; a catchy and optimistic song and OCS when they`re at their best. “You Are Amazing” is a bit like “The Biggest Thing” – a lttle uninteresting.
“If I Gave You My Heart” is a silent waltz; a beautiful recording.
The rocking “Can`t Get Back to the Baseline” is the closest they get to the sound of “Moseley Shoals” on this album.
The album is recommendable alone for songs like “Up On The Downside”, “Sail on My Boat”, “Mechanical Wonder” and “If I Gave You My Heart” – the rest of the album is just good and solid!
I find it unfair to class this album as a 2 star rating when in reality it has 6 really good songs that could stand up with other OCS material, so I gave it a 3 star.
Fans of the band were expecting another even more acoustic oriented album after One From The Modern due to the trend the band seemed to be taking. . . and they weren’t wrong either. There are 3 songs that could be classed as electric, those being “Up On The Downside”, “Give Me A Letter” and “Can’t Get Back To The Baseline” the rest are of the relaxed variety with acoustic over-tones. But the sound of the whole album is very fresh compared to the stale sound that was repeating from producer Brendan Lynch who had worked on their 3 previous albums, that was a plus point of the album. . . finally breaking away from the sound that they were being expected to do by the music press so that they could get even more slated for it.
“Up On The Downside” is an exhilarating rush of 70′s sounding funk/soul/rock that you can’t help but smile when you hear. A great first single and really pointed that OCS were not just a riff making rock band, but could take their hand to any style, perfect slice of music that is ideal for the night and going out in style.
“In My Field” sounds very Who-esque in it’s vocal melody and style, from the synth intro to the “Won’t Get Fooled Again” style vocal melody. A good song and works very well live, it’s cool to hear the mandolin kick in halfway through and bring it into more folkier rock territory. The bass playing in this song is spot on too, turn the bass up and check it out. The one thing that OCS fans were seriously calling out for was the Steve Cradock flash guitar solos of the earlier albums, but this didn’t happen in this song (and album in fact) and it would have benefited greatly from it too.
The third song “Sail On My Boat” could very well have been a single if only the label had released a third from the album. It and the following song could very well have made single material but alas it never happened. Great harmony vocals and brilliant lead acoustic guitar playing from Mr Cradock add the icing to the cake with an anthemic chorus that kicks in with a louder guitar than the relaxed verses which feature subtle synths.
“Biggest Thing” is an exquisite song that really complements the album well and has some amazing piano playing and slide guitar touches that glide over it. A chorus that promises to be huge but drops to minimalistic simplicity that works so well it’s un-true. Cymbals roll through highlighting the songs ethereal quality, but it’s when the piano break comes in and soars skyward at the 3 minute mark that you really feel this songs greatness. Never over-doing any of it’s parts it fits so perfectly with lyrics that you can’t get away from.
“We Made It More” seems Beatlesque with it’s string section, it isn’t a bad song but is quite forgettable to most. Makes a great album track and I wouldn’t have excluded it from this album because it is a good song.
Here is the funky thick and chunky bass driven song “Give Me A Letter” that in it’s 2 short minutes fits in a screaming slide guitar solo and a boogie-woogie style piano solo, what a little stomper this one is indeed and a very rare site on this album. Again hiding underneath it all is a subtle use of synthesizer which is in a number of songs on “Mechanical Wonder”.
The 2nd and final single to be lifted from the album was indeed the title track “Mechanical Wonder”, although the single version is a slight improvement to this album mix it is still a great song. Fitting into the folk/rock bracket well the song plods along with the bass dictating the pace and some low harmonica playing adding depth that usually would be reserved for the synth on the album. The lyrics are very strong too and were apparently inspired from a walk with a dog by a canal in Birmingham.
“You Are Amazing” is a big ballad type song with piano, crisp electric guitar, bass and more of the slide guitar that Steve Cradock had grown more fond of over the last 2 albums. Again I wouldn’t exclude it from the album, I think that the album itself as 11 songs deserves no replacements. . . with the exception of 1 song, that I shall get to.
“If I Gave You My Heart” is another love song but of a higher quality than the previous song, with some string playing that really works well with the mood, in the verses it is simply an cello that plays then in the chorus the violins begin and the mood rises. Powerful lyrics and a perfect delivery from Simon make this song something that shouldn’t be un-heard.
The only song on this release that I would have replaced would have to be “Can’t Get Back To The Baseline”. If only the band had replaced it with the “Mechanical Wonder” b-side called “I Was” this album would have been that much better. It is a good album track and is upbeat, but there isn’t much to it and it shows through quite easily.
“Something For Me” is the final song and a simple 12-string acoustic folk song, this is probably the most forgettable of all the “Mechanical Wonder” songs, which is a shame because the final song should always be remembered. Maybe “Free On The Wind” would have been a great ending afterall?
In short this album is NOT a bad album, but it is by far not the best album by Ocean Colour Scene and it’s a shame that 2 b-sides from the album were better than most album tracks. . . I think that if you buy this album you should invest in the “Mechanical Wonder” single too because the 2 b-sides I mentioned are both on this, I also reviewed that item too so if you’re interested check it out.
Despite actually being released in the US, this album is probably no better known than its predecessors – and that’s a crying shame. Ocean Colour Scene represents all that is good about classic rock. If most of the albums in your collection are 30 years old, pick up some OCS. That said, “Mechanical Wonder” doesn’t quite have the majestic beauty of “Marchin’ Already” and “One from the Modern. ” Take a chance on those unknown masterpieces first.
Ocean Colour Scene – Mechanical Wonder (UNI/ARK 21) . . . Ocean Colour scene has finally returned to the states with the fist album to be released here since the 1996 release of their critique acclaimed album, Moseley Shoals. Mechanical Wonder is one of the best kept secrets of 2001 and a great follow up to Moseley shoals, in this age of Teenage pop groups and electronic computerized music. It’s very refreshing to here a traditional rock band instead of over produced mediocre dance music and rap-metal. You might sit in amazement at how Ocean Colour Scene can make an album with out the use of turn tables, but it’s actually possible and sounds a lot more like true rock. The first song on the album, Up on the downside opens like some kind of James Brown grove and the ends up starting to rock in a very British and very soulful style. The next song on the album, in my field, is where you can really hear the Daltrey-esq vocals of Simon Fowler, as it sounds a familiar resemblance to the who’s Baba O’Riley. Then we get to the eighth and ninth track on the album, You are Amazing and If I gave you my heart, Which are two very beautiful love ballads. With Simon Fowler Singing the lines “If I gave you my eyes, what would they see? Would they seenothing, If not for me?” From the song if I gave you my heart. The album then closes with the song something for me, a song about the anxiety within a dying relationship towards the end. This album in all, is a classic, maybe not as much as Moseley Shoals, but some may feel that it still stand pretty strong alone, not being compared with the last USA release. Ocean Colour scene is a band that wears its influences on its sleeves, like so many other British rock bands (as if, that’s a bad thing!) But they are a true musical force, writing beautiful songs that are just poetic bless. Also recommended would be the newly released best of album that features songs from Ocean Colour Scene albums not available before in the states.
I THINK the real genius of The Beatles was their ability to evolve while consistently (and seemingly effortlessly) producing world-class material. In fact, they packed more quality and variety into Revolver, Sgt Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album (all released within a three year period) than most groups managed in an entire career. The once flourishing Britpop brigade comprised many bands that drew upon the Beatles as their inspiration, but none have even come close to matching the original masters. While marks should be given to the likes of Blur for effort, Ocean Colour Scene has barely even tinkered with the formula. I’ve always liked this group a lot, and still maintain that B-sides, Seasides & Freerides, is among the finest Britpop albums ever. Right until OCS’s fourth studio album, One From The Modern, I was still in their corner, but Mechanical Wonder is where I give up. I was shocked at the lack of quality of the album’s opener (and debut single) Up On The Downside, and quite frankly, of the 10 tracks here, only two or three are worth a second listen. There’s absolutely no new ground covered here and most songs are alarmingly mundane. The main exception is the stirring If I Gave You My Heart, which is probably the only reason I’m keeping my copy of this album. And I’m a real fan.