The Ordinary Boys - ‘How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps’ (B-Unique) Released 23/10/06

The Ordinary Boys’ third album ‘How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps’, could have been in very real danger of being eclipsed by front man (Samuel) Preston’s antics this past year- appearing on that bastion of quality programming ‘Celebrity Big Brother’, his whirlwind romance and marriage to fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestant Chantelle Houghton, and his very recent and very public admission that he has in fact married a “bimbo” (no!? really?! Gold star for you Preston for observation) and other such tabloid courting comments- and that would have been a shame. No, really it would.

Why? Because The Ordinary Boys are actually (whisper it) pretty decent. There: it’s out in the open now. Alright, so they’re never really going to be the type of band that inspire wild hedonistic legends nor be forever carved into the annals of rock ‘n’ roll history for their mighty musical prowess or their ability to smash up an entire drum kit (or, whatever) and bite off the heads of small flying mammals (arise Sir Ozzy), but you know, sometimes, ordinary (geddit?) is good. Great, even. And that’s what ‘How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps’ is: great. So great in fact, it’s being touted as a more worthy follow up to their platinum selling 2004 Debut ‘Over the Counter Culture’ than the actual follow up (‘Brassbound’, released in June 2005, in case you were wondering).

Note to all failing bands out there: meet and marry your very own bimbo all within the space of nine months, it works! ‘How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps’ is bold, brassy and brash. It’s very Madness-esque, with more than a hint of ska influenced stylings, with a touch of Adam and the Ants and Japanese electronica in the vein of Plustech Squeezebox thrown into the mix for good measure. Swaggering, livin’ it large beats, punky, funky rhythms tell of today’s obsession with all things ‘celebrity’. Wait a minute? An album that ‘discusses’ our celebrity obsessed culture, sung by a front man who has himself spawned hundreds of column inches in the ‘sleb gossip mags? Oh, the unparalleled, delicious irony.

Irony aside, ‘How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps’ sees a return to form for ‘The Ordinary Boys’, they’ve gone back to basics and come up with an album that is surprisingly sparkling.