I admit it: I expected a lot when I put on Help. Sucks Blood, which was two records ago, was one of my favorite releases of 2007. Drenched in woozy harmonies and surreal effects, the album was perfect to bliss out to yet it still made me feel all weird inside. I was shocked when I learned that Thee Oh Sees’ lead guy, John Dwyer, was also in Pink and Brown (a masterful noise rock destructicon outfit off Load Records). Then I started seeing all the press. John Dwyer’s band is relatively blowing up, and with last year’s The Master’s Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In, full-on critic rabies was afflicting the music world out there. Now Thee Oh Sees are getting more attention than before, and I wonder if they're becoming self-aware. I also wonder if Thee Oh Sees are ultimately making music because they don’t give a fuck about you or your band.
Help makes it immediately clear that this wasn’t going to be like Sucks Blood, but more like The Master’s Bedroom. Track one, “Enemy Destruct,” is a fuzzy washed-out garage rocker in the classic format. Surely there is nothing wrong with invoking one of the most hallowed of all genres, and Thee Oh Sees are doing it with aplomb and zeal. But I'm still disappointed. By "Meat Step Lively," I have seen no departure from the garage rock homage, and the style is wearing on me. Perhaps I have too much of an obsession with variance, but I can hardly tell these tracks apart. Perhaps Help is a record best played in the background at a hipster BBQ or perhaps in the car on a trip to the lake (one of those case/six-pack/flask-type lake trips). But in my mind, this record falls short because their mindful and deliberate excursions into a weird world of pseudo-lullabies are no longer present.
I made a personal promise this year: I wouldn’t fault artists for doing something different or unexpected. Too often I fall into the trap of having preconceived notions upon receipt of an album, only to find that the artist has departed or changed or what-have-you. So, I guess I shouldn’t say I didn’t like this album because it’s not like Thee Oh Sees I had grown to love. It's fairer to say that this album fails me because these 12 tracks are simply not interesting enough, especially for a band that was always so visceral and engaging. These tracks just blend together, and I lose interest after track four, even after repeated listens. Believe me, I've tried. I just can’t help but feel that Help would've been more effective as an EP.
1. Enemy Destruct
2. Ruby Go Home
3. Meat Step Lively
4. A Flag in the Court
5. The Turn Around
6. Can You See?
7. Rainbow
8. Go Meet the Seed
9. I Can't Get No
10. Soda St. #1
11. Destroyed Fortress Reappears
12. Peanut Butter Oven
More about: Thee Oh Sees
