"OK Screamer" is a deceptive record. At first, the third album from the Anglophile groove-rockers Great Adventure sounds like unfettered Britpop-worship, with po-faced baggy beats and Stone Roses sensibilities straight out of the early-1990s.
But further listening reveals depth and experimentation, even if there is little originality. For example, on "I'm Reborn Now," the band toy with bleepy-bloopy synths, atmospheric rhythm and strange vocal stylings recalling the sophomore Gorillaz album "Demon Days" or mid-era Chemical Brothers. And while most tracks are party tunes, all funk-basslines and tambourine percussion, they do often carry unusual elements or sounds that make them unique.
Crucially, a good portion of the tracks are danceable, allowing listeners to pull off their favorite Bez impression. And despite all this, the album carries to its credit an unusually dark tone, where most of the band's influencers managed only cheeky grins and goofiness. Frontman Yuji Ota does a passable job of singing in English throughout the record but close examination of the lyrics doesn't reveal much. Who cares? This is not an album to dissect and analyze -- it is one to be simply enjoyed.