Thee Oh Sees: Help

Label: In the Red

Thee Oh Sees on In the Red: In this age of suffering and unenlightenment, finally, something just plain makes sense. John Dwyer & Co.‘s latest follows in the style of their lastest, ??The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Leaving Your Panties In—at least we think that was the title. Regardless, ??Help has an easier name and every last micron of the same echoey, reverby quasi-mod rawk thrills, from outright garage-punk (“Meat Step Lively”) to more canonistic turns on rock’s past (“A Flag in the Court” could be 1962’s best single). The boy-girl vocal interplay between Dwyer and Brigid Dawson is about the best you’ll hear in rock music—they go together way better than cameras and phones. Like an American Billy Childish (not just in thee name, either) but way more versatile, Dwyer is a national treasure, and if you don’t have Help, then you need help. Says me, that’s who. (M.L. Thrope)