Phil Mongredien 

Thee Oh Sees: Mutilator Defeated at Last review – light and shade

San Francisco’s John Dwyer ongoing exploration of psych rock contrasts bracing distortion with more reflective moments
  
  

'Fuzzed-up':  John Dwyer on stage in Austin, Texas with Thee Oh Sees.
'Fuzzed-up': John Dwyer on stage in Austin, Texas with Thee Oh Sees. Photograph: John Sisk/The Washington Post/Getty Images Photograph: John Sisk/The Washington Post/Getty Images

As consistent as he is prolific, San Francisco-based John Dwyer has been exploring fuzzed-up psych-rock under various names for almost 20 years now. His ninth album as Thee Oh Sees has its fair share of songs that resemble long-lost Nuggets-era gems (Withered Hand and Rogue Planet are particularly bracing). But there is light and shade amid the trademark distortion: the proggy seven-minute Sticky Hulks opens with a pretty organ motif before Dwyer’s guitar crashes in, and Holy Smoke showcases a talent that doesn’t always have to hide behind amplification.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*