On their latest studio album, Sorcs 80, the San Francisco-based act Thee Oh Sees, or OSEES, creates an ever-twisting musical universe. With many sounds, steady percussion and a voice that keeps it all together, this album will take one for a spin.
With its opening track, “Look At The Sky,” there’s a noticeable punk edge in the vocals of lead singer John Dwyer, who tells everyone to look at the sky with raptures trying to understand living and dying. Behind the vocals, there seems to be a mix of Oi! like Stomper 98 and intergalactic out-of-the-box, like Snõõper, with a few 2001: A Space Odyssey spaceship noises on top — it’s really fun.
Every song fits its little niche, as they don’t clash like a fusion of garage, punk, psychedelic and electronic; they create something unique. On “Drug City,” there’s still that Oi! feeling in the underlying instrumental and some of Dwyer’s vocals, but a new round of electronics takes center stage, sounding like a mix of Fiona Apple/Yoko Ono high-pitched vocals and ‘90s computer sounds.
The only thing steady throughout the entire record is the percussion. Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon make a powerful rhythm section that isn’t showing off too much. With a few drum fills near the beginning of tracks, it’s mostly steady toms and kick drums so the electronics and vocals know where to go. It’s a hidden leader among a lot of stars.
However, the best track on the album has to be “Cassius, Brutus, & Judas,” and not just because of the cowbell. It’s the most danceable track, the inclusion of some saxophone into the instrumental keeps it upbeat. Dwyer dances around the beat with his lyrics, dodging cowbells, saxophones, electronics and everything in between.
It’s like dancing through an obstacle course. The way Dwyer is maneuvering through the track, or playing an older arcade game, where the player is constantly on the run, waiting for something to happen, like Mappy or Battlezone.
Overall, Sorcs 80 is an incredibly entertaining album from an already great band. Listening to the record feels like a scavenger hunt; it’s not super chaotic, but it will surprise you during the journey.
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