Monday 2 April 2012

The OK Social Club - 'The Shape Of Things To Come' - reviews round-up.

THE OK SOCIAL CLUB The Shape Of Things To Come ****
Edinburgh upstarts The OK Social Club may be reminiscent of the Strokes, but they manage to hang on to their Scots accent on this slice of pop brilliance.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/life/reviews/music-reviews/singles-reviews/2012/03/16/other-singles-march-16-86908-23790333/
----------------------------------------------------------------

The opening strains of ‘The Shape of Things To Come’ by Edinburgh’s OK Social Club tells you everything you need to know – they’re taking the happier, poppier elements of Scottish music, from Bis to Dananananaykroyd, and they’re updating them for the 21st century.
The debut single from the band, there’s certainly promise on show here. It’s nothing life changing – but then again, whose debut single is these days? – but it is most certainly enjoyable fare from a young band. ‘Shape of Things To Come’ brims with energy, and even shows a nice change of pace as the song moves towards its close, with a singalong coda that should get even the most jaded of gig-goers singing along.

The single is backed up by ‘Twist, Learn, Kick and Scream and ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’. ‘Twist, Learn, Kick and Scream’ is pretty standard b-side fare, a nice song, but nothing to really take notice of. ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’, however, is the real hidden gem of this three-track collection. An end-of-night song that bookends the single nicely – opener ‘The Shape of Things To Come’ sings: “What did I do last night/How did I end up here” whilst closer ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’ says: “And now/All that’s left/Are photographs/And battle scars”.
All in all, ‘The Shape of Things To Come’ is a decent debut single. ‘Twist, Learn, Kick and Scream’ is the only song that doesn’t leave much of an impression, but the other two songs show that there’s certainly promise, and if this is The Shape of Things To Come from The OK Social Club, then maybe it’s worth keeping an ear to the ground.
http://www.isthismusic.com/ok-social-club (3.5 out of 5)
----------------------------------------------------------------

The OK Social Club - ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’/double B-side, ‘Twist, Learn, Kick and Scream’ and ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’, Single

Sunny, fresh faced, highly melodic, catchy Indie which bowls along, in well matched harmony, beautifully delicate, nimble, mellow bass, the star, supported by scrunchy, cheerfully careering guitar , energetically optimistic, sensitive drums and soulful vocal, Scottish accent appealingly apparent. Though employing familiarly engaging stock musical phrases, all three songs melodically, memorably endearing, poignant , individual touches providing unexpected pleasure, particularly the break, three quarters though 'The Shape Of Things To Come’, built around wonderfully laconic bass. Twist, Learn, Kick and Scream’ adds touch of ‘60’s Kinks style, in vocal effects and melodic construction, with hints of Bragg and Two Tone, while more contemplative ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’ , most obviously Indie pop, infectiously anthemic.

http://www.mudkiss.com/chumkimarch12.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------

Sunshine and lollipops, in the form of The OK Social Club, greet you on The Shape Of Things To Come and just like Hansel and Gretel – you’re going to gorge yourself on their gorgeous, upbeat tunes – a modern spin on REM by us, the dour faced Scots – with feel good indie anthems as the result.

Opener ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ serves as an explosive, exciting introduction to your new watering hole, fast and energetic – it’s a great way to set the tone.

Next track up, the oddly titled ‘Twist, Learn, Kick And Scream’ drops the tempo, but not the optimism – the indie instrumentation showing a sharper edge, with darker, more abstract lyrics as a result.

Closer ‘Twisted Young Gentlemen’ is an effective encore; simple lines, big choruses and straight grooves allow everybody to participate.

It’s nice to see a band taking a smiling sideways glance at things in what’s becoming an increasingly dark world.

Words: Matthew Slater
http://ravechild.co.uk/2012/03/02/record-review-the-ok-social-club-the-shape-of-things-to-come-platform-records/
----------------------------------------------------------------

THE OK SOCIAL CLUB "THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME"
(PLATFORM RECORDS)
RELEASED? 2nd April.
SOUNDS LIKE? Interesting,
no sooner has Scotland got
its own and superior version
of Billy Joel in Michael
Maclennan than they go and
produce the very noises that
ye olde Arctic Monkeys
were supposed to be making
all along. The Ok Social
Club perform this neat trick by molecule mining the shafts pre-drilled by Ballboy and whacking in all those clanky basslines that Clor were supposed to save EMI with. That's the short and simple answer to the 'sounds like?' question and it's the only answer that you need because Ballboy are and Clor were damn good and The Ok Social Club are damned good
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, it's fair to say that The Ok Social Social Club give me reason for hope.
WHERE IS IT? www.platformrecords.co.ukThat's my brick...
http://www.unpeeled.net/singles.html
------------------------------------------------------------------

The OK Social Club have been creating a little buzz around certain circles for a while thanks to their brilliant tight live performances of catchy guitar pop with a slightly punk edge.

The band have taken their time with their debut release The Shape of Things to Come, out now on itunes and available to view on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCKSdQ1w2io

A guitar riff appears out of a flurry activity before a catchy acapella vocal takes you off on a guitar-pop trip for three-and-a-half-minutes.

There are echoes of The Cribs and the poppier moments from The Libertines.

The main hook/chorus; You want to see us fail, you love it when we go, a little too far off the rails. is used to good effect throughout the song, turning into a terrace style chant towards the end.

The band pack a lot into the 3-minutes, slowing things down, speeding things up, taking things out, adding bits in. They clearly have an ear for a hook and a melody, two things I am very fond of personally. I am a sucker for a good guitar pop song and this is a good one.

I need to give the record a rating for this website, something I hate to do as it is up to people to make their own minds up. I mean what is a 5/5 record? You Set The Scene by Love, Whats Going On? by Marvin Gaye?

This gets 3/5 for me. Energetic, full of hooks and melodies and promising a lot more. Having seen the band live on a couple of occasions I know they have loads of tunes up their sleeves.
http://www.glasgowmusic.co.uk/ReadReview-213
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Charming early summer stuff here from Edinburgh’s The Ok Social Club who seem to combine the sounds of We Were Promised Jetpacks with The Boo Radleys. 7/10
http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk/singles121apr12.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Edinburgh scamps The OK Social Club’s dynamic new single is a melodious little ditty that veers from the indie rap sheet of early days Twang and parades the energy of fellow Scots The View.
http://www.shout4music.com/features/this-week-in-singles-242012

No comments:

Post a Comment