It's funny to think that Oppenheimer now have a bigger fanbase in the States than they do on their native island, but sometimes, that's just how things work. When the Belfast duo - Rocky O'Reilly (guitar, keyboards, electro-wizardry) and Shaun Robinson (vocals, drums, guitars) - released their eponymous debut in 2005, the idea of its initial pressing selling out in the US (2006) and the UK (2007) was probably a wistful dream.
The indietronica pair, picked up by American label Bar/None, have since successfully completed lengthy tours in the US with the likes of They Might Be Giants, The Spinto Band and Regina Spektor - not to mention having their songs featured on the likes of Ugly Betty. Yet Oppenheimer still maintain a relatively low-key profile in Ireland, despite their quality radio-friendly tunes.
That could all change with their second effort. An album of inimitable pop stylings mixed with dashes of their trademark electronica brilliance, Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It picks up where their debut left off, naturally progressing to a more rounded, accomplished sound for the band.
There's genuinely not a single bad track here; this is an album that manages that all-too-rare feat of variety without repetition. From the oomph-tastic, peppy surf-rock of opener Major Television Events, to the spacey pop-rock of Only Goal & Winner, and from the soft, zappy shimmer of Support Our Truths to the hard-rock-laced The Never Ever, Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It is a consistently enjoyable collection of pop-rock doodles that are far too finely-crafted to be deemed disposable.
With twelve songs spread over a succinct thirty minutes, it also means that there's a sincere hankering for more, long after the last synth has been swatted. We may have already lost Oppenheimer to the wider world - but at least let's start appreciating them like the national treasures that they are.
