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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An impressive debut, October 27, 2006
Three minute blasts of power pop with more hooks than you can shake a stick at and great shared vocals from all three band members; ex-Everclear drummer (don't let that put you off) Greg Eklund, his brother Mark and Olivia (Ollie) Stone. Whats not to like?
First and foremost, lets get this straight. By no means is this debut album perfect, in fact part of me feels it would be better as an EP or mini-album. You see, the twelve tracks here offer the listener nothing new in terms of orginality, in fact it helps that the tracks alternate between Eklund and Olivia as the whole thing otherwise would end up being quite samey. From the leading single "TV Dinner" and onwards through "Cahuenga Shuffle" and "Octopus," you start to feel that the formula has reached a point where Stone's breathy drone (a cross between Metrics' Emily Haines and a punkier Jenny Lewis) begins to sink under the weight of samey-ness and the songs start to sound quite forgettable.
But underneath it all there are moments of real greatness here, in particular "Small Parts" which on the surface sounds like a summery-pop gem but underneath tells the tale of a relationship breaking down, with the lyrics "The decay of a former stone heart / Distributed into small parts / Now I cease to glow I cannot function anymore" isn't as happy go lucky as the ryhtm section would suggest. You can't help but hum the chorus either with its "ahhhhh ahhhhh Dont go out the backdoor / ahhhhh ahhhh Thats what the fronts for / Chew me up & spit me out / I can't take anymore - Hardly what you'd expect from a summer anthem but it works perfectly. Other highlights include the opening tracks "Gone" & "Tripped", the latter featuring a melody again sung by the real star of the record Ollie, with her instantly likable vocal that wouldnt sound out of place on a Rilo Kiley record.
All in all this is an impressive debut which (with no fault to the band) really should have been released several months ago, to cash in on the heat of the summer.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EASILY One of the Best CDs from 2006, May 18, 2007
If you need a comparison, consider them a Pixies and Breeders hybrid with even catchier melodies. Will this album stand the test of time? I don't f-ing know. But after my first listen of Small Parts six months ago, I have not gone a week without listening to this CD. These guys are the real deal. I hope their appearance on Spider-Man 3 ensures more CDs from the LA trio.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Stop Pop, December 29, 2008
The Spider-Man 3 soundtrack was what got me hooked on this young indie pop trio (since then I've grown a strong dislike for super hero movies...) along with a few other not so popular indie bands. The Oohlas are one of those unique bands that sound like a combination of all of your favorite bands, especially since they have a male and female lead singer. The band I could most easily compare The Oohlas to is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, especially with songs like "Maps." Greg Eklund's voice, on the other hand, makes the band sound somewhat like The New Pornographers with a slightly more punk rock sound. Since the release of Best Stop Pop, the band has signed with Island Records and has toured with Sean Lennon, The Raveonettes, and many more big name indie performers. All I hope for on the new album is better lyrics.
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