Ozma

The Doubble Donkey Disc (Kung Fu)
by Emily Joyce

When I first saw this, I thought, “Oh great, another indie rock band with a token female keyboardist.” But after listening, I was hooked. Ozma received worldwide attention touring with Weezer, and this disc proves they deserve the hype. Despite major labels fighting over them, Ozma signed to Kung Fu, who released The Doubble Donkey Disc, which is the the five Pasadena, California rockers’ first two EPs, Russian Coldfusion and Bootytraps. The first EP showcases the band’s experimentation with Russian folk music – sampling it and mixing it with synth pop – including the song Ozma is famous for, “Korobeiniki,” a traditional Russian folk song, also known as the Tetris theme. The Bootytraps EP got its name from vocalist/guitarist Ryen Slegr’s DJ name, “The Bootymaster,” and provides more heavy synth-powered pop rock. Each song on this EP was supposedly created for each member. The Double Donkey Disc contains catchy, sing-songy vocals, solid drum beats, synth-driven pop and power chord rock, Ozma establishing themselves as musical experimenters, even featuring some flute work by keyboardist Star Wick.
(PO Box 38009 Hollywood, CA 90038)