Label: Bar/None

Web site: oppenheimermusic.co.uk

Release Date: June 6, 2006

Oppenheimer - s/t
Matthew Ralph

If you aren't already candied out from the holiday season, Oppenheimer offer a sugary explosion of synthesizer-driven pop tunes that has little to do with the anything but happy reference of the group's namesake, a guy we know as "the father of the atomic bomb."

Fans of indie-pop stalwarts like Papas Fritas, Grandaddy and Apples In Stereo or more specifically the once upon a time when Weezer was good side project The Rentals may just fall in love instantly with this Northern Ireland pop outfit's debut.

It took me until the fifth song of the record — "My Son, the Astronaut" — to do just that. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something about accents and different pronunciations of words in songs that just latch onto me. In this case, it's the words bulletproof and influenced or "boo-let-proof" and "in-floo-inced" as they pronounce them that does the trick. Beyond that, the song is just plain catchy, especially when the drums and fuzzed out distortion kicks in.

The song is hardly a one-hit wonder. "Breakfast in NYC" is an infectious number that would find a nice home in a commercial or as background music in a trendy, too cool for dancing New York hangout.

"M.O." is a loud, in-your-face number that I imagine would be a crowd favorite live. There's few songs on the record that I couldn't imagine being fun live though.

This is simply a fun record, a candy-coated party on CD. Although not the kind of disc that is appropriate for all occasions, it's a can't-miss record for anyone with a sweet tooth for synth-pop.

posted [12.01.06]

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