OPM
Menace to Sobriety
On Sale Now
For $12.98

California is a strange place. Strange things grow there. And OPM is no exception. On the band's debut CD, Menace to Sobriety, the guys take a number of disparate influences--rock, rap, hip-hop, dance, pop, dub and mariachi--and somehow blend up a cocktail that's a little bit sweet and a little bit sour.

Besides the big mix of musical styles, these guys touch on all kinds of vibes and subjects in their songs. The album's opener, "Stash Up," blasts off with a fast forward verbal assault. Profanity flies with jam cranked bass lines. It's rude, it's obnoxious. It has all the rebellious blood of the original punk scene. But these cats rock to a way different beat.

Even with all that nastiness there's still plenty of humor on this disc. The first single, "Heaven is a Halfpipe," voices OPM's vision of the afterworld where no one's hassled by the man for skating. Apparently it's a sentiment shared by many. At press time, the song was the third most requested track on LA powerhouse radio station KROQ.

The humor runs through this disc but it's often tempered with the edgy facts and fictions of modern life. The song, "El Capitan," lists the band's favorite drinks and the possible repercussions of overindulgence. "You woke up in the morning with a spinning head/ A teenage girl lying next to you in bed… A month goes by, you can't remember the date/ The girl's at your door sayin', 'Boy, I'm late!'/ That's what you get for playin' the ho/ And now you got a kid with a girl you don't know."

Although this is OPM's first major label effort, they managed to enlist some of LA's finest talent back in the studio. Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction, Angelo Moore from Fishbone and several members of Ozomotli all lay down tracks on various songs.

So, it looks like OPM have found a niche. They've got it covered in the skate anthem department. They certainly have a unique musical style and there are plenty of cuss words to piss off the parents and leave the kids in awe.

These guys are not particularly great role models (unless you aspire to be a sociopath, drunk or convict), but Menace to Sobriety is a musically challenging record that pushes the lines of style in many unusual directions. Even if you're not headed for the gutter, this disc is both a cool spin and a peak into the underworld of the Southern California street life.

Check out OPM's web site at www.opmden.com

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