With every album since the release of their brilliant 1996 sophomore effort Moseley Shoals, UK act Ocean Colour Scene has grown more and more tiresome.

Their retro Small Faces/Who/Paul Weller classic Brit rock sound has fallen from refreshing and cool -- despite its shameless pilfering -- to redundant and cooled off.

Mechanical Wonder continues that slow, maddening descent.

Gorgeously produced, the disc trods self-consciously along the familiar R&B rock road its predecessors, and the band's aforementioned forefathers, did so much better.

There are no standout tracks and only a few precious moments of brightness here (most notably the organ, piano and wah-wah on Give Me A Letter).

Which is sad, really.

Because, while in truth, the music of Ocean Colour Scene has always been old hat -- this time it just seems a whole lot older.

Track Listing 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