Rockin' Our Turntable: The Thermals

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 29, 2009 3:00PM

Now We Can See, the most recent release by Portland's The Thermals, bursts with optimistic energy even as its lyrics burn a caustic path. The band works a rather simple musical attack, opting for chunky hummable chords crossed with sing-song lyrics only a handful of steps off the playground. Bitterness rarely plays this satisfyingly or this toe-tappingly. We disagree with critics who seem to think it's a step backward from 2006's The Body, The Blood, The Machine, but do the album makes no great artistic leaps forward from that point.

In fact, slightly higher fidelity recording allows the song's pop potential to move to the fore, and while some might say the tunes lose a certain immediacy in the process, we would argue they cement a stronger form in doing so. Lyricallly singer Hutch Harris seems more interested in verbal impressions than solid statements, all the while delivering these ambiguities with the fervor of a protest singer hooked on meth.

Like we said, it works.

The only real problem with Now We Can See is that it starts off with four tunes so strong that the following tracks sound like retreads. The band nails its sound so perfectly from the outset that there's no way to go but to plateau. The energy never ddips after that opening salvo, but it fails to rise any higher either, creating a tense stasis that prevents the disc from feeling like a victory. And who knows, maybe that's what the band intended?

It's been a while since we saw The Thermals play but we certainly would never describe their stage show as ever plateauing. In fact you might want to see if any of the band is simply mainlining coffee while they play because there are times when we swear they threaten to vibrate right through the damn stage.

MP3: The Thermals "Now We Can See"

The Thermals play tonight at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake, 8 p.m., $14, 18+