The Thermals are the result of indie kids trying to play punk rock and ending up playing something is is more punk than indie but not really punk in the way I think of punk. Does that even make any sense at all? Who cares. Their last full-length The Body, The Blood, The Machine was among my favorite ablums of 2006 and their latest (and fourth) album Now We Can See is sure to fall somewhere on my best of 2009 list. It features raw but tuneful songs that just sound like brash kids singing their hearts out as they struggle to figure out how they fit in (or something like that). The melodies aren’t always sweet but (rather) they’re insidious and manage to work their way into your brain and under your skin no matter what. It’s a good thing though. I’ve heard some people say that the production on Now We Can See is “muddy,” “lackluster,” and other such descriptors, but I totally disagree. Sure, it’s raw and brash, but damn, you can hear the room and it sounds fuckin’ a awesome. I mean, you can easily imagine the band playing in a basement with just a few mics hung from the ceiling. I can certainly get down with that.
MP3 | The Thermals – Now We Can See Now We Can See
MP3 | The Thermals – I Called Out Your Name Now We Can See
the interesting thing with the band is that they are definitely not kids (at least, hutch harris and kathy foster have been in many bands dating back to the mid 90s) and being on subpop previously they probably are playing to bigger audiences than basements…
this record and the new Metric are the best of the year so far.
-=Wicked C.
Best lyric I’ve heard in a while:
“Now we can see, but the images don’t stick. Our enemies lie dead on the ground and still we kick… Hey!
I’m trying to get over this band… but I keep hearing too much Art Brut in the vocals…and Art Brut is my whipping boy this month, so…. uh no. But they’re hugely popular, bubblegum pop for the masses? Oh that’s harsh, isn’t it! xoxo
Tart – More than bubblegum pop. Much more. If you are so inclined, check out their last album “The Body, The Blood, The Machine.” I think it hits way harder than this.
I agree that the lyrics are pretty good.