Weekly Release Spotlight: Thee Oh Sees

Posted on 4/07/2008

Thee Oh Sees

The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In

[Tomlab]

Artists and bands that subtly change their name on every album very well might do so just to mess with us. They may even spy on unsuspecting record store clerks as they attempt to properly alphabetize and organize on the release date of their newest effort, who are undoubtedly left scratching their heads as the musicians hiding in the bushes snicker and chortle to their delight. Or maybe they just have an insufferably carefree attitude that defies industry tradition for the sake of breathing life into an artistic practice that has gone stuffy over the ages that have been wrought with commodification and product branding. In the case of the mad genius John Dwyer, formerly of Coachwhips, and his recently gathered troupe of experimental poppers, methinks it's probably the latter.

It all started out as a creepy little project called OCS (which stood either for Orange Country Sound or Orinoka Crash Suite, depending on who you ask), where Dwyer stepped aside from the crushing garage noise of Coachwhips to create tape hiss-inflected acoustic instrumentals. He then elaborated on his trademark sound – first adding whispering vocals, and as the name became The OhSees, then The Ohsees, and now Thee Oh Sees, more and more players joined in on the fun, slowly transforming Dwyer's works into the upbeat and energetic pop-rock songs on The Master's Bedroom.... Having now put out three varied full-lengths in three years, Dwyer's potential seems practically limitless and his prolific nature proves him to be a relentless force in the experimental music community. Especially since he equally embraces the pop tendencies of his songwriting and the destructively minimalist execution of his recordings, he's got a niche carved out for fans of both the friendly and the frightening.

"Block of Ice" pummels through the speakers as it kick-starts the album with an implacable tempo and gritty bubblegum melody, as if it were a zombie sock hop in the middle of the Thunderdome and everyone was invited. The opener sets the perfect tone for the rest of the album, showing off Dwyer's sense of retro-sloppy style and slithery DIY ethic at once, refusing to let go of your eardrums for another fourteen tracks. This is not to say the album's a one trick pony, however. "Graveyard Drug Party" flashbacks to Dwyer's earlier spacier works as a welder of feedback, crunchy percussion, and cannibalistic vocals and "Adult Acid" utilizes co-vocalist Brigid Dawson's smothered and stormy voice in the same delectable way 2007's Sucks Blood did. While keeping things fresh and uniquely Dwyerian, Thee Oh Sees have also managed to concoct an unyielding album that explores territory they've successfully treaded before, and it gets more satisfying every time: leaving them to surely not disappoint when yet another solid effort amusingly confounds music lovers in 2009.

Written by Chris Polley, Radio K volunteer and host of Now Like Photographs.