Artist: The Boom Bang / The Copperheads
Title: Split
Released: 2011
Label: Okie Dope Records
Format: 7”
Genre: garage rock, psyche rock, punk, surf, noise rock
Literally fresh off the presses, comes the debut release for Oklahoma City based Okie Dope Records. I was elated to find this sitting in my inbox this afternoon. It certainly was music fit to chase the cold w inter away. Here, on this spiffy 7 inch, both bands bless us with two tracks per side.
Side A: The Boom Bang, with a few releases to their name, start things off with “Jabroni Ramoney,” a track that kicks off with a sweet pop guitar hook before exploding into a wild tornado of sweet distorted bliss. The vocals are a wonderful blend of pop, punk and garage rock, hinting perhaps back to the Ramones. This song is clever, simple, balanced and has some of the best guitar tricks I’ve heard in a while. The second track, “Sugar Ray Romano,” opens with an early Nirvana-esque riff before diving into the swirling mayhem of distortion based pop-garage-punk vocals and beats. This track is infectiously catchy. Crank it up!
Side B: The Copperheads, with their blend of noise, surf and punk, shed a wildly untamed light over the world of sound as the needle hits the groove. The first track, “Neon Bitch,” takes me back to the days of my youth, sifting through piles of old grunge, punk, garage and surf vinyl and playing each one until my head pounded. The vocals are distorted, the guitar works are fast and vivid, and the sound is something like a fusion of all things great in the aforementioned genres. They round things out with “Not That Guy,” a track that rips open your ears with an odd and echoed vocal sample before diving into a swirling torrent of gritty guitar and hazy vocals. It sounds like a blend of 50s era rock, 60s garage and late 80s – early 90s punk. This is great and MUST be cranked up to get the full experience.
Should you buy this? Uh, yeah. It seems as of late, nearly every 7 inch record that’s come my way has been great, and this is no exception. If you’re into punk, garage, noise, surf and psyche, this is a vinyl you should pick up. You get two bands here who are tearing apart Oklahoma City with their signature sound, and by all rights, you should hear this. If you’re into early Ramones, Woggles, Cheap Trick, Seaweed, Supercharger or are curious about this mix of genres, take a look. I can safely say you will not be disappointed.
4.9 out of 5.
Order your copy here via Okie Dope!
