Hundredsomethings' new album "Get Well" recalls the garage rock days of the Eighties and early Nineties, with audible influences from The Replacements, Pixies, Violent Femmes and early, early Smashing Pumpkins.

The Midwest City band recorded the songs at arm's length, as if a thin wall were placed between it and studio microphones. Front man Adam Patten said "Get Well" was a decidedly lo-fidelity effort, despite recording the release at Norman's venerable Bell Labs studio " an atmosphere that has churned out sparkly albums for Starlight Mints and others.

"All Here" is a good example of the straight ahead intent of the new album, a track the band rides with a solid guitar hook and frantic percussion all the way to the end. "The Zoo" is an aggressive grunge track that highlights the exhilarating drumming of Matt Duckworth.

HUNDREDSOMETHINGS
Also Patten's house mate, Duckworth has earned a reputation for being one of the most exciting and physical drummers in the state. Duckworth will join Patten and bassist Eric Mai for occasional Hundredsomethings shows, but the drummer's other gig behind the kit with Stardeath and White Dwarfs and as a roadie to The Flaming Lips means Patten has to find a replacement for Hundredsomethings' shows next year.

The act will debut "Get Well" with a 9 p.m. Saturday show at The Opolis in Norman.

"That is the hardest thing about it: He is a great drummer, and in the studio, we were pushing his technical skills to the max," Patten said. "He was doing a lot of really wild stuff. I've been drumming for 10 years and I was just like, 'Wow, how am I going to do what he is doing?'"

Patten said stripping away the studio sheen to reveal the group's raw musicianship was a reaction to overproduced and pretentious rock 'n' roll he noticed proliferating in modern music.

"I don't really get into the gimmicky part of rock, where everyone says they are experimental and are banging against a trash can with an air conditioner blowing just to say they did it," the singer said. "I was going for more of a rock 'n' roll feel " what I would listen to " and eliminate all those buzzwords." "Charles Martin