The third album in three years for John Dwyer’s Oh Sees sees the band improve on their previous effort, The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In, itself a great album. Once again, Dwyer’s secret weapon is Brigid Dawson, whose vocal interplay gives them a leg-up in the male-dominated garage rock scene. And while the band are not averse to pounding out sounds from the first wave of '60s punk, they’re not afraid to cop the groove from the B-52s' “Dance This Mess Around” for “Go Meet The Seed”, or throw in a flute solo to “Meat Step Lively” and strings on closer “Peanut Butter Oven”. Gosh, 4 out the 12 songs are over the three-minute mark, a rarity in a scene that is thankfully opting for the shorter-is-better route, but Dwyer is not afraid to let a groove ride out if it is working. If the current back-to-basics revival is going to mutate into a second phase, expect Thee Oh Sees to be leading the way.
(We're also selling tickets for Thee Oh Sees' show at Wrongbar on Thursday October 1.)