Ultramarine

Ultramarine is the first full-length album of new material from Hershey, Pa., dream-poppers The Ocean Blue since 1999's Davy Jones' Locker. Picking up where the six-song 2005 Waterworks EP left us hanging, Ultramarine brings us back to the late '80s, when the pre-grunge alternative scene celebrated the shimmering guitars and keyboards of bands like The Smiths (whose "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" was covered on an early Ocean Blue EP and became a popular encore), Echo & The Bunnymen, and The Go-Betweens. The band retains the core of singer/guitarist David Schelzel and bassist Bobby Mittan, along with guitarist/keyboardist Oed Ronnie (who joined in 1993) and drummer Peter Anderson (added in 2000). The heady ambience of "Sad Night, Where Is Morning?" and "New York 6AM" show a rust-free quartet working at the peak of its powers. From the Morrissey-like croon of "Blow My Mind" to the slowly ticking drums and sweetly arpeggiated guitars of "Touch Down on Earth," The Ocean Blue lets us know the alternative '80s aren't over until it says they're over.