The days of the lo-fi, rambunctious Thermals are firmly put to rest on their 2009 album "Now We Can See." The almost violent youthful energy of their first records has slowly changed into something more measured musically, more thoughtful lyrically. The duo's (Hutch Harris on guitar, vocals, and words, Kathy Foster on drums and bass) previous album The Body, the Blood, the Machine was a political, passionate album that successfully accounted for the growing maturation of the band's sound with fire and fervor. This album is a different story. Thanks to the slick production, standard issue chord progressions on songs like "When I Died," some radio-friendly guitar solos and the sometimes pedestrian nature of the lyrics, it's the first record where they sound like professional musicians and not just a couple of rabble rousers making joyous, tortured noise. Still, there are a few songs that manage to overcome the record's flaws and deliver some excitement; "Now We Can See" has an ultra-hooky chorus and a nice, rollicking riff, "You Dissolve" brings in some piano to brighten the sound and most promisingly, "At the Bottom of the Sea" is a restrained, moody ballad that shows a possible way forward for the band.
Caught The Thermals live a few weeks back for the first time with my good buddy, who is now a 7 time Jeopardy Champion! Although he knew he had already raked in over 150k, he somehow didn't say a word. Apparently, if you tell anyone before the show airs, Trebek tracks you down and kills you and your entire family. I should have known he won since he was so damn happy at the show, but then again...
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Hailing from the burgeoning indie-rock scene of Portland, Oregon, The Thermals are a three-piece band who assign themselves to that very saturated genre. Produced and polished within an inch of its life, this is the fourth album from the band, who formed in 2002 and have survived a number of band member changes since then. [...]
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Hailing from the burgeoning indie-rock scene of Portland, Oregon, The Thermals are a three-piece band who assign themselves to that very saturated genre. Produced and polished within an inch of its life, this is the fourth album from the band, who formed in 2002 and have survived a number of band member changes since then. [...]
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Their last album was certainly about "them", but Now We Can See is about "us", about what we do in the confusion of abrupt change.
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5 out of 10 starsI’m not a big Thermals guy. I’ve never minded their music, and even thought that they’d be a cool live act to go see, but I’ve never picked up a Thermals album because I was feeling like one of their songs. The thing is, they’ve always been a critical darling, and [...]
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7.5 out of 10 starsThe beginning of “When I Died,” the album-opener of their upcoming album Now We Can See, sounds like it came off of a They Might Be Giants kids album. This is a compliment- I love They Might Be Giants’ kids albums.But that is only the beginning of the song, where lead [...]
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SxSW will be merely a warm-up for these delightful three folks, preparation for an intense 35 date tour between April and May of this year. Neighbors to the band from Portland are Kill Rock Stars who signed The Thermals just in time for their fourth album release 'Now We Can See' which is out this month.
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The bouncy Portland trio recently gave us a Progress Report about their forthcoming forth album Now We Can See that included a look at the album art, insights from ever caffeinated Hutch Harris, and a listen to the demo of Now 's "When I Was Afraid." Adding to our Thermals stockpile, now we can hear the completed title track, a quick and catchy pop anthem you ought to be singing along to befor...
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7.5 out of 10 starsThe beginning of “When I Died,” the album-opener of their upcoming album Now We Can See, sounds like it came off of a They Might Be Giants kids album. This is a compliment- I love They Might Be Giants’ kids albums.But that is only the beginning of the song, where lead [...]
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The Portland, indie-punk-rock combo The Thermals' fourth album, Now We Can See, is due April 7 from Kill Rock Stars, according to an in-depth Stereogum report. Here's a demo of a song that will be on the album.I like this band a lot. There previous album, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, was a winner.And be sure to check out the full Stereogum report here: http://stereogum.com/archives/progre...
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Hailing from the burgeoning indie-rock scene of Portland, Oregon, The Thermals are a three-piece band who assign themselves to that very saturated genre. Produced and polished within an inch of its life, this is the fourth album from the band, who formed in 2002 and have survived a number of band member changes since then. [...]
More >
I have done at lest a months worth of drinking and going out this week, and I would have very nice video of The Thermals, The Dex Romweber Duo, and The Detroit Cobras for you if Youtube would stop being such a bitch and send me my damned confirmation e-mail, but it's ok. Because I saw some of my favorite bands this week (seeing bands I've been trying to see for ages has been a pattern lately) ...
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Caught The Thermals live a few weeks back for the first time with my good buddy, who is now a 7 time Jeopardy Champion! Although he knew he had already raked in over 150k, he somehow didn't say a word. Apparently, if you tell anyone before the show airs, Trebek tracks you down and kills you and your entire family. I should have known he won since he was so damn happy at the show, but then again...
More >
With one of the most hyped albums of early 2009 finally hit shelves Tuesday, it's hard not to look around the music-webisphere and not see something about The Thermals.Add me to the list of watchers, as I found myself glued to the band's new video, "Now We Can See." It's mostly shot in the band's practice room (I'm assuming), and is quite catchy.Other recent Thermals stuff that you may need to ...
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The Thermals play DC’s the Black Cat Mainstage on Wed May 13th.MP3: The Thermals - No Culture Icons from More Parts Per Million (2003)The fetching bassist of Portland pop-punksters the Thermals is one Kathy Foster. And a long-standing rockstar crush for me (see right *drool*). So it was with great giddiness that I [...]
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It was April of this year when The Thermals' most recent long-player 'Now We Can See' was released but already, the band are moving on and have decided to release some early information on their next full-length. Release date included.
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The Thermals evolve one more step with their newest album Now We Can See. Mellowing out riff by riff since their debut More Parts Per Million, the poppy garage punk of The Thermals (now with Kill Rock Stars) has leaned towards a happy garage feeling, less gritty than albums before. Songs like "Now We Can See" show some sort of maturity in the band's aging, at least lyrically, along with a good ...
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Yes, I do post music other than hip-hop here. This one is new from The Thermals and it's the title track from the album out 4/7. As a break from all this heavy hip hop I give you this pop anthem from the Portland Trio on the Kill Rock Stars label. The singer's voice sometimes reminds me of John Darnielle's. Anyone else? Thanks to Stereogum . It's a good sign for a poprock song to be stuck i...
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Pitchfork debuted today the title track from Thermals upcoming album Now We Can See . Due on April 7th via Killrockstars. "Now We Can See" | download The Thermals on the upcoming album:"We think it's pretty good! Pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty good. Not only are the songs filled with some of our smartest lyrics and sweetest melodies, but the recording is, for us, another great leap in fidelity...
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Now We Can see is the title track from The Thermals fourth album which hit shops today. We've always been big Hutch and Kathy fans (welcome new drummer Westin), and their music just cheers us up. How can you keep yourself from not clapping along with the band in the video's opener? The Thermals always remember to make it fun, and they often capture that with lyrical integrity that keeps you
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Their last album was certainly about "them", but Now We Can See is about "us", about what we do in the confusion of abrupt change.
More >
Hailing from the burgeoning indie-rock scene of Portland, Oregon, The Thermals are a three-piece band who assign themselves to that very saturated genre. Produced and polished within an inch of its life, this is the fourth album from the band, who formed in 2002 and have survived a number of band member changes since then. [...]
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 When I Died |
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| 2 We Were Sick |
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| 3 I Let It Go |
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| 4 Now We Can See |
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| 5 At the Bottom of the Sea |
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| 6 When We Were Alive |
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| 7 I Called out Your Name |
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| 8 When I Was Afraid |
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| 9 Liquid in, Liquid Out |
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| 10 How We Fade |
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| 11 You Dissolve |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Now We Can See")
