“A sweet ass-beating” Album Review: Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer

Sugary pop hooks cause cavities

Formed in late 2004, Belfast, Ireland duo Oppenheimer gelled fast. Everywhere you drop in on the duo's debut album, you're bound to hit an electro-fused indie-pop hook. Meanwhile, singer and schoolteacher Shaun Robinson is ever sweet and reassuring, singing lines like “Come on, you know your heart's still beating” (“Nine Words”). Although distorted guitar ups the ante on several songs, sometimes it's a gritty, thick synth (“Breakfast in NYC”) that injects dynamics or a fat vocoder (“OK, Let's Take This Outside”) that kicks a demur verse into overdrive — a sweet ass-beating.

© Remix Mag 2006