Review: The Thermals - Now We Can See

I've had this review sitting on the shelf for a while. After the Thermals pottery class, I thought I would bring it out. This album has been out for over a month and I've been digesting it since then. The Thermals last album The Body, The Blood, The Machine is probably one my favorite albums to come out in the last ten years. It's catchy, anthemic, and makes you want to drive with the top down. Now We Can See is equally anthemic and catchy. The move from Sub Pop to Kill Rock Stars hasn't changed their sound. The addition of a new drummer and a new producer hasn't either. This record is pure Thermals garage rock.

That's it. Nothing else needs to be said. This is both a good and bad thing. The record stands on its own, both simplistic and powerful, but it doesn't aspire to much greater heights. The title track has already grown to be commonplace for me. The production and the "oh we oh" chorus seems forced. I don't want to be one those fans who is like, "I like them better when they had that raw sound on their demos", but it is partially true. "I Let It Go" was the song that got me excited for this album when I saw a clip of them performing it on a short documentary about Portland music. They were in a basement, with no drummer, just playing.

This is a good album. Hutch and Kathy are great songwriters. My expectations were high, probably too high. I'm already excited for the next album and for when I finally get to see them live.

Highs: "I Let It Go", "Liquid In, Liquid Out"
Lows: "Now We Can See"

Mp3: "Now We Can See", "I Was Afraid (Demo)"

Rating: 7.7