Thee Oh Sees – Help (2009) [In The Red] // Grade: B

John Dwyar’s (Coach Whips, Pink & Brown) Thee Oh Sees (formerly OCS & The Ohsees) have been making some of the best Psych tinged Garage Rock for the past few years. Help their newest disc, while not quite as profound as 2008’s Their Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In still packs a strong wallop for anyone craving some great Garage Rock.

I tend to go in and out of Garage phases, gradually tiring of the repetitive nature of the scene, but The Oh Sees transcend being just another Garage Band and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since discovering them last year.

Combining the raucous & raw energy of the Wipers with some short & sweet heady psych jams ala the 13th Floor Elevators, Help strikes that perfect balance of being Garage but not just another Garage record. The production is blissfully lo-fi and intricately dated so as to replicate the warm fuzzy garage sounds of the 60s and 70s. Best of all, with out outwardly trying to the vibe reminds me a lot of 60’s Haunted House records… Help sounds like The Oh Sees are playing in a dark & dank basement, with the wails of ghosts echoing from each guitar strum & the rattle of chains from each percussive hit. Like a stroll through the Graveyard at dusk, thrilling, suspenseful and oddly serene.