I managed to see Thee Oh Sees three times in two weeks a little while back and every performance was amazing and unique. I recognize catching that number of Oh Sees performances may not be that difficult, given the number of times the band plays around the Bay Area, but I was really blown away each time by their consistently excellent energy and well-crafted songs. Last week, Thee Oh Sees released their much-awaited album Help, on In the Red Records, and it’s getting uniformly high praise around the web.
Help captures Oh Sees ’08-’09, a point at which the band has completed a full evolution from the quiet fuzzy tunes of the early OCS records to a more aggressive sound that fits more intuitively into the universe of past John Dwyer projects. This band isn’t a retread, however; a lot of bands employ a garagey, treble-heavy approach these days, but few seem to eschew a nostalgia trip and really own their aesthetic like these guys. Okay, enough selling this band. Either you’re on board or you’re missing out.
Thee Oh Sees perform tonight, May 4th, at The Knockout and Friday, May 15th at Amnesia.
[audio:https://www.thebaybridged.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/thee_oh_sees_-_03_-_meat_step_lively.mp3] Thee Oh Sees – “Meat Step Lively (Live at the Bell House)”Download a full live set from the band at the recently launched (and excellent) Free Music Archive.
