Ocean: Pop Drones and Wide-Eyed Optimism

The members of Ocean Blue may not have reached legal drinking age, but the Hershey, Pa. quartet, which played the Roxy on Wednesday, has a defined musical vision poised between Tiger Beat screams and moody blue dreams. British post-punk poppers like Aztec Camera and moodists Echo & the Bunnymen are inspirations, but Ocean Blue doesn’t fake British accents, and the group imbued its trancelike pop drones with a spirited sense of American optimism.

There may be nothing groundbreaking nowadays about mixing jangly guitars and atmospheric keyboard washes, yet songs like “Between Something and Nothing” had the evocative, hypnotic feel of a 10-year-old spinning in a meadow. At other times the group galloped into a hopping rhythm that suggested an exuberant Pennsylvania Dutch polka party.

With every flop of his blond bangs, singer/guitarist David Schelzel displayed the boyish charm of a young Peter Noone, but Schelzel and crew (including equally bouncy keyboardist Steve Lau) have a determined sense of musical purpose. An honestly refreshing modern pop band. Ocean Blue will play Sunday at Bogart’s.