Thee Oh Sees- Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion[2008]

Thee Oh Sees is merely the most current name of San Francisco garage mastermind John Dwyer. Given how energetic they're known for being, it can be shocking to learn that they're actually one of his more sedate projects. From the two-man guitar and drums madness of Pink and Brown, to the naughty bass throb of Ziegenbock Kopf, Dwyer has been involved in some of the wildest and most original garage acts of the last 15 years. Thee Oh Sees has been his most stable project yet, despite all the name changes(Orange County Sound, Okinawa Crash Suite, OCS, Ohsees), and their echo-laden stomps have been gathering a surprising amount of attention, landing them spots at multiple ATP shows.

"Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion" was my first Thee Oh Sees album, but it's not really an official member of their catalog. This release was accompanied by a dvd in which the band played acoustic renditions of old and new material in such diverse locations as the sides of roads and on beaches. Consider this the soundtrack.

It wouldn't seem like the raw electric energy of Thee Oh Sees would translate well to acoustic sessions, but to be honest, they pull it off with aplomb. "Gilded Cunt", known as "The Guilded Cunt" on "The Cool Death of Island Raiders", is a lilting, drifting ode to reverb, and "Ship"s tight, rolling shuffle sounds terrific in this acoustic setting. "Block of Ice" is far tamer than its plugged-in counterpart, but still works well. "Curtains" is the first of the songs on the album that can only be described as "surprisingly beautiful". Cozy vocals blend with warm guitar tones and finger-picking to create an unexpected delight. "We Are Free" is a hissing, echoing dirge(complete with road sounds from the live recording) that fades into a reverb freak-out, and "Make Them Kiss" is a weird little lounge number with a drunk guitar plonking its way along in the background. Other tracks amble along amiably("If I Had A Reason"), while still others drone and oscillate eerily("Highland Wife's Lament").

"Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion" may not have the raw, sweaty energy of Thee Oh Sees later releases, but it's a fabulously warm record, full of beautiful moments wrapped around weirdo lyrics(see:"Second Date"). Not representative of their work by any means, but a pleasant listen for anyone.