If the Ordinary Boys could get in a time machine and transport themselves back to the heady days of Britpop, they'd probably be one of the biggest bands on the planet. With their Fred Perrys, two-tone shoes and sharp haircuts, they're just about as mod as it gets - and crucially, they've got the tunes to back up their arrogant swagger. Under the Counter Culture is a foot-stomping trawl through the irritations of British life, featuring sardonic sideswipes at such obvious targets as the vacuous celebrity culture, the soul-destroying 9 to 5 grind and the terminally awful weather. The horn-driven arrangements come courtesy of Blur's old producer Stephen Street, a neat touch that helps to place the band in a classic lineage that also takes in The Who and The Small Faces. On the evidence of this rousing debut, there's nothing ordinary about these boys - and if you listen closely enough, they'll almost make you believe it's 1994 all over again.
