The Thermals - Now We Can See; Kill Rock Stars, 2009The Thermals have always been the fun side of rock and roll. Their debut album was full of intent and great riffs. Their album, 'The Body, The Blood And The Machine' , is one of my favourite albums of this century. I played it to death when I got my mits on it. Well, they are back with their fourth record, 'Now We Can See', and I have not been disappointed. The riffs and the fun are still there, but this time it's pop-rock.
The lead single from this record, and the title track, promised a great deal from this record. The Hold Steady-like woahs and the massive riff suggested a slightly new direction, embracing mainstream. I fell in love with it very quickly and found it randomly popping into my head on occasion, which is always nice. This track isn't alone in its catchiness. Oh no. The Thermals have perfected that art on this record.
The noted catchy tunes start the record off with a bang. Songs like 'When I Died', 'I Let It Go' and the aforementioned 'Now We Can See', really grab the attention and then we are presented with 'At The Bottom Of The Sea', a break in the proceedings. This track brings out The Thermals softer side, with another catchy little chorus and some lovely guitar parts. You don't complain and you've been dancing so much that you need the break to catch your breath. It's a little bit forgettable in the context of the album. But still great on its own.
After a small break we get back to business with more riffs to dance around the house to. The soundtrack to bouncing might be a more accurate name for this record, with breaks in between for you to gather yourself. There are epic guitar anthems a-plenty here. Some of it isn't quite as exciting as their previous record, but it's solid and it's catchy so I won't complain.
The record ends on a slower point with 'How We Fade' closely followed by 'You Dissolve' both great tunes, very nice indeed, but not quite reliving the speed and the ferocity of the earlier records except for those riffs being incredibly catchy. The only moment here that I can, hand on heart, say sounds like it could fit on an earlier Thermals record is 'When We Were Alive', which at 1:45 is a short, sharp shock to the album and kicks it into gear.
Great record overall, with a few moments that don't quite seem like The Thermals. This isn't a bad thing, this is a sign that they are embracing new ideas and directions. I can't wait to see how they flesh it out for album number 5.
The Thermals are on tour this spring/summer.
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2 comments:
Sounds really good. I was worried this album would be too samey, glad to see its not.
Are you going to see them? I got tickets for Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh.
It's not as good as the last record but it has some kick ass tracks. Samey isn't the word I'd use. It's not quite Thermals, almost. There is much more melody and "pop" in there. Not mainstream, not landfill indie but shinier, happier. There are a few tracks that remind me of Steady-area rock and roll. This isn't bad.
I have tickets for the Brum show in June, yeaaaahhhhh. Cost me like £8. Win!
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