Weekly Release Spotlight: Thee Oh Sees

Posted on 6/29/2009

Thee Oh Sees

Help

[In The Red]

The transition for a musical genius into a solo career or side project is always a bit tricky. Luckily for Thee Oh Sees, John Dwyer's reputation and resume (as a member of Coachwhips, Pink and Brown and a number of San Francisco and east coast bands) not only precedes him, but can only have a positive effect. Dwyer, along with Atlanta's Black Lips, is one of the pioneers of this century's psych-pop-garage rock revival. He also has an intense fan base who will love just about anything he does, so there really isn't a way his new projects could go wrong. Yes, Thee Oh Sees are more pop-oriented and tamer than Pink and Brown or Coachwhips ever were, but the genius is still there.

Thee Oh Sees started, like all side projects seem to, as a way for Dwyer to release the experimental home recordings he’d been making. As years went by and after the breakup of Coachwhips in 2005, the project evolved into an all-out band and Dwyer's full-time gig. Help is the second full-length of original material released under the name Thee Oh Sees - previous releases have come out under The Ohsees, OCS, Orange County Sound and Orinoka Crash Suite. As with 2008's The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In (a Radio K favorite), the songs are low-fi garage pop - just like anything Dwyer makes should be. But Thee Oh Sees distinguish themselves from the Black Lips, Wavves and Strange Boys of the world both through the authentic recording quality and through the vocals. Especially on songs like "Soda St. #1" and "A Flag in the Court," the band sounds like they could easily share a bill with the Iguanas circa 1965. Dwyer and fellow vocalist Brigid Dawson create unmistakably catchy male/female harmonies (a la X, Viva Voce or The Rosebuds), singing together more often than they do individually ("Rainbow," "Meat Step Lively" and "Ruby Go Home" really showcase this talent).

It doesn't really matter what name or spelling changes the band may experience or how many waves of garage rock revivals may come and go over the years. Musically, we'll always know what to expect from Thee Oh Sees - incredibly catchy reverb-soaked gems.

Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.