Yeeeah The Thermals. Deliciously poppy “indie punk”, if you want to go there. (Garage lo-fi if you don’t.) Angry and irreverent half-yelled, half-spoken strong nasal vox. Spare repeated lyrics are at once decidedly unadorned and profound. To the core, I suppose. Very, very, very consistent sound throughout -- we’re talking melodic electric guitar over deep rudder bass riffs. This is what Andy Cook would call the classic three-piece pop punk sound. This is bouncing music, plain and simple. This shit just makes me smile. One-sheet claims this album is “about love”. It also points out the sound was recorded live and mixed (by Chris Walla, no less) entirely to tape. Woo woo woo.

FYI: The KZSU library has... at least two Thermals LPs close at hand. Maybe three. Their old stuff is equally fantastic. If you like this, go for a dig.

try: 2, 3, 4
no FCCs

1. easy rudder beat and spoken/shouted to-the-point lyrics: ‘i’m gonna change your life!’
*2. fast fast energy, cut chords and call-call ‘whoa’s. ‘there’s nothing we can do if i don’t believe you.’
*3. minor downer. pushy tight beat. dig-in bass and zagging electric guitar riff. hushed threat vox.
*4. zoomy bright minor electric. great strong & sad vocal melody. ‘you only exist to be replaced.’
5. cymbal-heavy clashy midtempo rocker. kick-ass electric riff that actually approaches the one in placebo’s ‘bionic’. they basically build the song around it, and that’s okay with me.
6. dark & somewhat insidious. blow-out bass. lyrics that manage to be both devoted and terrifying. “i’m cut for you.”
7. wonky fade-in and fade-out. a bit more off-kilt than other tracks. solo vox and unsettling raw guitar. desperate and unpretty.
8. fuzz/scratch “whoa”s. loud, dirty, feedbacky guitar. fast and busy. breathless vocals and pick-it-up drums. awesome energy.
9. more downbeat. lone double-note guitar riff. feedback takeover for the last 30 sec. ends abruptly.
10. midtempo & bright. upfront drums and hella popster electric riff. sappy lyrics.