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By Shannon Sturgis DEBUT ALBUM - The Weisenheimers will hold a CD release party at White Water Tavern on Jan. 29 and will be back in action at O... + Enlarge

LITTLE ROCK — With the air-raid guitars and rolling drums of opener "Converse," the bomb bay doors are open on Little Rock punk outfit The Weisenheimers' debut, self-titled album. What follows is 29 minutes of bombastic, fun-loving, pummeling three-chord music with a hook and sing-along choruses.

Like any good punk album, it's a quickie affair: a wham bam, in-and-out joyous collection of 11 tunes in under 30 minutes. It's a rip-roaring good time of rambunctiously fun punk music but with an intermittent angry undertone.

Influenced by pop-punk bands such as the Ramones, Teenage Bottlerocket and Screeching Weasel, The Weisenheimers were formed in the spring of 2007. Lead singer, bassist and chief songwriter Karle Johnson, and drummer and singer Dirty Sean Causey were both members of Josh the Devil and the Sinners. Guitarist Mark Wyers joined the band following a stint in Josh the Devil and the Sinners, and his older brother Micah Wyers joined on guitar in the spring of 2008 following the departure of the band's original second guitarist.

Band formed, the quartet sharpened their razor-sharp riffs with shows around town and polished off their 11-song debut over the course of several months at Wolfman Recording Studios in Little Rock. The finished product - recorded, engineered, produced, mixed and mastered by Jason Tedford - is tight and clean.

When Johnson sings on "Converse" - "It's time to get up and get into trouble/It's time ... to turn this town into rumble" - it's not an empty threat. The Weisenheimers mean serious unruliness but with a catchy beat and a smirk. It's a drive-by shooting of an album - a few quick punk outbursts - that follows the punk-rock ethos: Say what you need in around two and a half minutes or don't say it at all, and give it a punchy beat, an infectious, energetic riff and sticky, memorable lyrics.

Good: What sets The Weisenheimers apart from other three-chord and a hook pop-punk bands is an angrier undercurrent in the lyrics and the twin turbines of the Wyers brothers' guitar attack.

When Johnson states, "And one by one your dreams are falling/And one by one they crash," on the venomous "Don't Say," or Causey howls "Do I really have to say/I just wanna run away" on the ultra-catchy yet sinister "Bubblegum," it's not all love and happiness. Sure, the sweetheart sentiments of "May" - with its rumbling drums and thundering guitars - contains lovestruck lyrics such as "I'm sorry I don't put any thought in what I say/But if stay with me I'll make it worth your while/I'd do anything if I could see you smile," but the ferocious, roaring "Bloodbath and Bodyworks" contains the lines "Take your final breath, and/Take your final bow/There's nowhere that you could run or hide/I'm gonna hunt you down" and references Charlie Manson. It's toxic but tuneful.

And hidden in the two- or three-minute shotgun blasts of pure punk exhilaration on the album are lightning-quick guitar runs, exhibiting serious chops. In between the stabbing guitars of "Converse" and the dive-bombing roar of "When I Explode," the Wyers pull off screaming guitar licks and zippy four-bar solos.

Bad: In the quickie blur of even a good punk rock album, not all tunes are winners, and The Weisenheimers' debut is no different. While the standout tracks - "Converse," "May" and "Bubblegum" - shine brightly, other tracks such as "Don't Say" and "Combover," are too quick and overdeveloped for their two-minute run time. Both tunes kick off with a guttural bass line by Johnson, but the band attempts to cram in a memorable, shout-along chorus and fiery guitar solos in two minutes time. Even with punk rock it's a good idea to slow down every so once and awhile.

Must have: "Converse," "Wooly Mammoth," "May," "Believe," "Bubblegum," "Don't Wanna Hang," "Bloodbath & Bodyworks"

Ratings (out of five): 4