Painting

Perhaps there's a bit of a sly nod to art rock in the title and album cover of Painting, the tenth Ocean Colour Scene album, but the contents that lie within are without a hint of pretension, favoring the florid trad rock that's been their stock in trade since Moseley Shoals. OCS add some new color by tipping a hat to their baggy beginnings on "If God Made Everyone" -- a dense, percolating cut featuring their heaviest dance rhythms in recent memory -- lathering on backwards strings and guitars on "Professor Perplexity," and opening the album with the chattering of school children on "We Don't Look in the Mirror." Also, echoes from Simon Fowler's pastoral solo project can be heard, particularly on the baroque psychedelia of "I Don't Want to Leave England," and these sounds accentuate how OCS have added textures to their Weller-worshiping rock & roll over the years. They continue to mine interesting sounds out of this vein -- no other band has mimicked Traffic so expertly -- but the sounds and structures, not the songs, are what's memorable about Painting. Ocean Colour Scene are agile within the confines of their wheelhouse so it's enjoyable to hear them play and construct records, even if they rarely give you a reason for a return visit. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|

世界に先駆け、タワレコ先行でリリースされた3年ぶりとなる10枚目のニュー・アルバム! もちろん男気溢れるモッズ魂は不変ですが、今作にはグループの代名詞とも言えるグルーヴィーでアッパーな曲がほとんどなく、60年代後期のキンクスみたいにメロディアスでフォーキーなサウンドを披露しちゃってます。良い意味で地味な仕上がりで、聴けば聴くほど英国的な哀愁を感じさせる味わい深い一枚。見事に新境地を拓いたね。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二