Thee Oh Sees
Drop
(Castle Face Records)

Frontman/creative force John Dwyer did say it was a transitional period for Thee Oh Sees though and Drop certainly seems like the work of a (slightly) different band. It’s still full of noisy garage rock and won’t alienate too many old fans, but it’s a lot less song-oriented and more focused on vibe and feel than previous albums. Drop begins with the fuzz freakout of “Penetrating Eye,” but quickly moves on to the psychedelic locked-groove of “Encrypted Bounce.” It’s repetitive, there are no vocal hooks, and there’s plenty of backwards guitar. It’s really a killer track, if you’re into that sorta thing. But whereas other garage rock bands might make this the epic last song on their album, Thee Oh Sees put it second, saying, “This is us now.” Much of the record proceeds in this trippy, droney way. Songs like the title track are still catchy pop songs, but its clear that In the Red/ Goner records style garage rock has taken a backseat to the psychedelic ’60s. Nowhere is this more evident than on closing track “The Lens.” The mellotron and vocal harmonies make it sound like something that could have been on Magical Mystery Tour. John Dwyer is just too productive too really disappear from the scene for long, but at the rate he puts out music, it’s good that he can change and evolve without losing the essence of Thee Oh Sees.