Ozma Doubble Donkey Disc CD

Any Weezer fans disappointed with their comeback albums would be better off listening to a younger set of geek rockers who go by the name of Ozma but could just as easily be called "Weezer circa Blue Album." The Californians have got the fuzzed-out guitars, loud drums, vocal harmonies, and synthesizer down just right. The band's apparent obsession with outer space -- Ozma was the name of the first search for signs of extraterrestrial life -- is taken to a new level on the first part of this album, called "The Russian Coldfusion." It features "Flight of Yuri Gagarin" and "Landing of Yuri Gagarin," the first man in space. There's more nostalgia for the recent past here, which recovering Tetris addicts will notice with the adaptation of "Korobeiniki," a traditional Russian folk song popularized in the 1990s video game. The first EP blends together while "The Bootytraps EP" -- on which every song has the word "booty" -- mines the familiar ground of love lost and unattainable. There's both catchy music and lyrics, as in "The Business of Getting Down": "If you'd drop by to see me again, I'd open up the door/And get down to all that matters now, which is getting down once more." ~ Ron DePasquale

What a country! Ten new hit songs in American style double themed full-length rock music CD!Last year Kung Fu did the world a favor when it took over Ozma's self-produced masterpiece debut (Rock and Roll Part 3). This year history repeats itself as we do the same thing for the band's new Doubble Donkey Disc. Previously sold only at live shows, the DDD is now available through Kung Fu and will be heavily pushed as the band's most current release when they rock the main stage at the 2002 Warped Tour all summer long. The DDD is a transitional work bridging Ozma's traditional past with their revolutionary future. The songs represent more advanced and eclectic composing as the band rockets out of Weezer's shadow and into their own thing. At Kung Fu we have a saying: "If doing your own thing means writing a double concept pop-punk album based on dual Soviet and Urban themes, make sure it's the greatest one of those ever produced." That's what we have here and we can't help but think that if the KGB would have heard this record during the Cold War, they would have traded in their surveillance equipment for guitars and defected immediately.

Recorded at Pop Squad Studios, Hollywood, California.

Personnel: Ryen Slegr (vocals, guitar, balalaika); Jose Galvez (vocals, guitar); Daniel Brummel (vocals, balalaika); Star Wick (flute, keyboards); Patrick Edwards (drums).

Audio Mixer: Bruce Witkin.

Recording information: Pop Squad Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Photographer: Patrick Edwards.

Arranger: Ozma.

Ozma: Ryen Slegr (vocals, guitar, balalaika); Jose Galvez (vocals, guitar); Daniel Brummel (vocals, balalaika, bass); Star Wick (flute, keyboards); Pat Edwards (drums).