Album Review: Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II

One of the bands booked to play All Tomorrow's Parties next year in Melbourne are Thee Oh Sees, and for all those who cling to over-production in the pursuit of perfection, Putrifiers II, much like other Oh See's albums, continues to fly the flame for DIY, shitty instrument music while maintaining a sense of drunk fun, barbecues and energy. Pretty good for a band who started out as a side product of singer/songwriter John Dwyer as something to kill time.

Opening song Wax Face sets a frenetic pace, a desert sessions-type road trip of something that's devolved beyond stoner rock and is followed by the Country-esque heavy noise of Hang A Picture and So Nice, both of which sound as if a heap of 1978-era Korg synths found at second-hand pawn shop were used as a filter, the outro to the latter song lasting a full minute.

As one may expect, engineering is at it's minimalist best, the strength lying in the construct of the songs and the softer tone of keys/tamb/voice assistant Brigid Dawson, whose presence continues to be the spit-polish to what is otherwise a rough-cut beast. The undressed pop of Flood's New Light is testament perhaps to the more mellow direction that Dwyer is heading. The CD also comes with a bonus demo disk of alternate versions of the mentioned opening tracks, which don't really add much to the product but provide an insight into how the finished product was achieved. Start your ATP education with this album and you won't look back.