Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania

(In The Red, 2011)

With Castlemania, Thee Oh Sees take the lead. While other lo-fi, garage-y type bands continue soft-pedaling just-above-average releases that seem poised simply to keep their collective heads above water, Thee Oh Sees have made a record that stands to devour hordes of unsuspecting listeners whole.

Perhaps that’s misleading. I mean, followers of John Dwyer and his troupe are surely not going to be surprised that the man has, yet again, exceeded expectations. They’ll probably read this with the response: Duh, didn’t you even listen to Help? Dog Poison? Truth is, Thee Oh Sees have long been front-runners among purveyors of outsider pop with a gritty, classic rock flair.

And to go ahead and answer, yes, I have been following Thee Oh Sees, and did listen to those previous albums. But there is something about Castlemania that’s got me bristling with summer-faced joy and jilted blues. It’s got me bobbing and weaving.  More so than before with Thee Oh Sees.

Maybe it’s the weather.

But it certainly is commanding me like Dancer Equired, Napa Asylum, Dye It Blonde and other like-minded albums haven’t been able to.

So take that for what it’s worth. I’ll just pronounce it: I love this album.

Thee Oh Sees - "Corrupted Coffin"