Quick spin: Thee Oh Sees’ ‘Castlemania’

Thee Oh Sees

Castlemania

Thee Oh Sees perch comfortably atop a vibrant Bay Area garage-rock scene. It’s a spot they’ve earned for a number of reasons: seniority (the band has been bashing since 2005, and head Oh See John Dwyer fronted primal pounders the Coachwhips before that); an inhuman prolific streak (being an Oh Sees completist is like being a member of a fabulous record-of-the-month club); and the simple fact that the band is one of the best live acts on the West Coast, East Coast or anywhere in between, delivering a blur of hip-shaking, revved-up mayhem every time it’s onstage.

Many bands in today’s indie world would take this combination of factors and attempt to capitalize on it with a breakthrough album that cleans up and streamlines all of the elements working in their favor. Thee Oh Sees are not many bands. “Castlemania” is a whimsically absurd collection that has more in common with British avant-garde weirdos Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band than garage-rock standard-bearers the Sonics. Anybody looking for propulsive fuzz-and-chug, well, try the concurrently released “Singles Vol. 1 and 2” compilation. But if you want to hear a band happily expand its sound to include giddy, oompah romps (“Corprophagist”) or orchestral odes to swinging London (“Corrupted Coffin”), then “Castlemania” is your bag.

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(Courtesy of In The Red Records) - Thee Oh Sees’ album ‘’Castlemania.’’

Maybe it’s a conscious effort to create distance from the increasingly generic garage tag, or maybe the band was just in the mood to rip it up and start again. Listening to Thee Oh Sees is always fun, but “Castlemania” is actually funny. You might find yourself chuckling at the chirpy call-and-response of jaunty opener “I Need Seed” or the goofy growling and haphazard harmonica of “AA Warm Breeze.” “Castlemania” might not be the easiest entry point into Thee Oh Sees’ catalogue, but worry not — another album will be along in just a few months.

— David Malitz

Recommended tracks:

“I Need Seed,” “Corprophagist,” “Corrupted Coffin”