O.C. Rippers Happy Hours Air Travel Club LP
O.C. RIPPERS have been grinding for a few years now, and these Beachwood, New Jersey boys are coming in hot on their second LP. The opening “Mean Streets” sets the tone for the record with a NEW BOMB TURKS-type rock energy and a vocal delivery that falls somewhere between “Nervous Breakdown”-era Keith Morris and “Search and Destroy” Iggy. From there, it continues down familiar roads of ’90s punk’n’roll paved with sleazy ’70s attitude and it’s a hell of a ride. While a lot of bands who tread this territory these days are content in delivering pastiches, the RIPPERS are writing good tunes, some of which would play pretty smoothly in between classics from the likes of the NEW YORK DOLLS, the HUMPERS, the DEAD BOYS, and ZEKE. The songs shift between smoky and bluesy moods, to shambolic ’60s garagery (see the ethereal organ that appears on “Murder” and “Late Night TV Lover”), to soulful and sinewy electricity seamlessly, all played with unabashed lowbrow finesse. I’m thinking it will sound great on Friday nights with a cigarette lit.