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Released on August 12, 2016 via Castle Face Records
Thee Oh Sees, a band with numerous line-up changes, transitional periods, notwithstanding releases using slight variation to the band’s name, is so vast a feature could be written entirely on this subject alone. It has been quite a ride for the John Dwyer led garage/psychedelic sound explorers from the initial side project incarnation back in 1997. Approaching a twentieth anniversary is a sobering thought. To bypass ramblings about cast and historical discography, lets instead duly remind ourselves of recent and current state of affairs, which sees Tim Hellman on bass since 2014, and therefore on the last studio album, Mutilator Defeated at Last. They are now joined by double drummers Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon who feature on the recently highly acclaimed Live in San Francisco release. They now return for their first studio album in this current formation.
A band constantly evolving their sound still applies to A Weird Exits, but sees them push further and extend in several ways, as well as the aforementioned drumming pair there is also a sharper sounding cleaned up production sheen (John Dwyer and Chris Woodhouse at the helm), but don’t fret, it still bites. Also, there is a significant exploration into electronica infused probing. This provides the album with a constant ocean of choppy waves interweaving between loud and quiet moments. This constant surge of diverse sounds to bombard the senses is supplemented by a disparate display of loud attacking, and softer subtle, drumming rhythms. From the thick, dense guitars and pounding drumming on the fabulously titled ‘Ticklish Warrior’ is followed by the accumulating synth electronica soundscapes of ‘Jammed Entrance’.
Probably the key to their success is the ability to wring a multitude of amazing guitar sounds with awe inspiring hooks to sound creatively frenzied and exciting. They continue delivering this with aplomb as on the also oddly delightfully titled ‘Gelatinous Cube’, recalls Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ before it leads to a glorious high octane punked up garage guitar refrain, which has John singing in high and lower growly tones similar to Frank Black. While the combination of big sounding harmonious guitar, a driving rhythm, John Entwistle style bass runs, is used to hugely thrilling effect on ‘Plastic Plant’.
Towards the end of the album it changes direction towards calmer waters so we are treated with ambient, trippy synth psych, on the appropriately titled ‘Crawl Out From The Fall Out’. This mellowness continues with organ led closer ‘The Axis’, which leads you down into a deep false sense of security until John unleashes an unexpected sharp, ferocious, jaw dropping guitar solo which merges the best of Neil Young, J Mascis, and what sounds like the guitar amp being thrown furiously around the studio before being detonated. Stunning!
This, in essence, all adds up to an exhilarating, urgent, inventive, head spin, sound explosion of an album, quite remarkable considering it is their 11th record and furthers the claim that the Thee Oh Sees are probably one of the most vital bands currently in circulation at the moment.
