Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer

What would the ambient-excelling Parisians of Air sound like if the duo had found themselves more attracted to hooks instead of breezy, electronic-laden landscapes? Or, if The Postal Service had hopped the fence on Ben Gibbard's sappy lyrics in favor of something less serious and more pleasantly boisterous? If Grandaddy'd ventured into space and headed straight for the sun instead of mindlessly floating amongst the stars? No one can say for certain, but Oppenheimer's exquisite synth-savvy pop wouldn't be far removed from those guesses. The Irish duo (Rocky O'Reilly, Shaun Robinson) owes a lot to their admitted influences--Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine; basically, the heaviest hitters and pioneers of electronic and ambient music...but Oppenheimer meticulously rework those elements and channel them through a Brian Wilson blender, a formula that leaves little to be desired. They're another pop phenomenon, serving up fuzzy, saccharine-loaded dishes, and oh God, is it ever sweet. Gleaming gossamer keys flourish across the debut's fourteen tracks; endearing, sleepy vocals intertwine and connect with the abundance of dreamy verses. But, Oppenheimer aren't afraid to shake it up a bit, and on "This Is a Test," the band exudes a fondness for robotic, new wave pop (that could have been left off the record without any quarrels, I'd say), whereas "M.O." would suit Bar-None labelmates The Spinto Band quite well, but I'm not complaining. Fellow Northern Ireland indie rocker Tim Wheeler (of Ash fame) lends his pipes to "Orchid," while "Saturday Looks Bad to Me" reveals the pair's hankering for vocoders, not a far cry from a rendezvous between Saint Etienne and Giorgio Moroder. Bedroom pop seems to incessantly be pervading everything nowadays, and duos seem to be the ideal perpertrators--Oppenheimer may fit the bill, and if they're not in a league of their own, they're no doubt at the head of the pack. [www.bar-none.com]