It's sort of fitting that the first album Ocean Colour Scene released in the U.S. since their breakthrough and masterpiece Moseley Shoals was 2001's Mechanical Wonder, their weakest since Moseley Shoals. It's not that the record is a failure, since it hardly is. It's just -- kind of predictable, really, offering no new spin or variation on OCS's patented blend of mod, early Humble Pie and latter-day Paul Weller. That's not entirely a bad thing, since Ocean Colour Scene does this sound not just better than their peers (admittedly, in 2001, there weren't that many bands attempting this sound anymore; it's a long way from 1996), but holds its own with the bands they pattern themselves after. The problem is that the songwriting has gotten a little mannered, a little undistinguished, and the performances, while sturdy, tend to be slightly flat. This wouldn't be notable if everything on the record was at the same level, since it would then seem to be just a solid, mildly satisfying album by a sturdy group. It's that the band can still hit it out of the ballpark, no more notably than on the opener Up on the Downside, a swirling, sexy song that is easily one of their greatest songs. There are other moments that click -- the rampaging Can't Get Back to the Baseline or the mildly insistent shuffle of Give Me a Letter -- but the first song is so good, it overshadows the rest of the record, which is simply good, average OSC. But, One From the Modern explored more territory with better songwriting, and that disappointment is compounded by that lone great single Up on the Downside, which illustrates that they can still deliver songs as enthralling as One Hundred Mile City. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

1		Up On the Downside
2		In My Field
3		Sail On My Boat
4		Biggest Thing
5		We Made It More
6		Give Me A Letter
7		Mechanical Wonder
8		You Are Amazing
9		If I Gave You My Heart
10		Can't Get Back to the Baseline
11		Something for Me