Album Review: Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II

After watching Thee Oh Sees rip it up high on top of old Sugar Mountain earlier this year, it was not hard to fall in love with this charismatic garage band from San Francisco. Furiously prolific John Dwyer and his band Thee Oh Sees come to us with plenty of inspiration and stamina, having released over ten albums and a virtual tidal wave of 7” singles in just six years. If delving into back catalogue might seem like a daunting and somewhat intimidating task then the best way to get a feel for Thee Oh Sees is to perhaps start with their latest album. Coming at us with perhaps a little more gloss on the mix than usual, Putrifiers II continues to find Thee Oh Sees existing at the intersection of garage, punk, '60s pop and psychedelic rock. Unlike last year's Carrion Crawler, which took no hostages with its riotous psychedelic garage freak-out, Putrifiers II explores the softer and more refined side of these influences. The album's opener, Wax Face, with its lusciously warm and distorted fuzzed-out vibes sounds like vintage Troggs on heavier, nastier psychedelics. Across much of this album Brigid Dawson and Dwyer's vocals melt into each other as they opt for strange and unsettling childlike falsetto harmonies. Warmed by strings, the cool swirls of sound on So Nice are pure Velvet Underground. The title track is a compelling stoner-rock dirge with a kind of rock'n'roll twist. Sounding appropriately spaced out, Lupine Dominus works an irresistible kosmische groove while Goodnight Baby brings a bright fluffy pop mood to the mix. It would be an understatement to call Thee Oh Sees multifaceted. Putrifiers II showcases the gentler side of their music and should provide plenty of inspiration to dive into their extensive back catalogue. An Australian-only bonus disc of rough and raw demos, which includes a few tunes that didn't make the album, makes this an essential package.