They may have started on a whim, but the Thermals are serious
business these days. Hutch Harris’ songs moved from the lightweight
2003 lo-fi debut More Parts Per Million to the 2006
anti-religion screed The Body, the Blood, the Machine. The
Oregon supergroup of sorts has moved from side project to primary
outlet, and finally follows its breakthrough with the equally ambitious
Now We Can See, maintaining a newfound sense of import. There
may have been an increased political bent to 2004’s Fuckin’ A, but, c’mon, the record was called Fuckin’ A. How serious
could they have been? The oppositional tone on The Body was a
somewhat startling — and eventually pleasing — development.
It continues here with a bit less focus, with nods to our collective
neglect of the environment, like on “At the Bottom of the Sea” and
“When I Died” Overall, the ideas are even more convoluted than those of
its messy predecessor. But “How We Fade” and the title track are
melodically clear and tightly played and sung (even if Harris will
never be able to shake the inevitable John Darnielle comparisons). If
there is one thing you can say about the Thermals now, and Now We
Can See specifically, it’s that they know how to make a bummer
sound like a great time.
— Chris Drabick
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.
