Now We Can See

The Thermals

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: April 7, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kill Rock Stars
• ASIN: B001T46UIW
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,447 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Thermals have...returned to what they do best - writing undeniably catchy punk tunes" --Spin

Product Description

2009 album from the Indie favorites. Thermal mainstays Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster recorded Now We Can See as a duo, as they did on 2006's The Body, The Blood, The Machine. Foster performed all drums and bass (and sang for the first time on a Thermals record), while Harris sang lead and played guitar. They returned to Oregon City's Supernatural Sound, with John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Polyphonic Spree) producing. The result is the widest, loudest piece of Alternative/Indie/Punk Rock The Thermals have yet unleashed. Lyrically, The Thermals have managed to move past religion and politics, yet remain joyously obsessed with love and death. Though the subject matter may be dark at times, the lyrics, as well as the melodies, remain as catchy and uplifting as ever.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Thermals RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!, April 20, 2009

By	Scott N. Saliger "quentin #20" (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Now We Can See (Vinyl)

I live in Beaverton, OR, and heard the title song, "Now We Can See," on 94.7 KNRK a few months ago, and have been a Thermals fan ever since.
They're a great band, & great people, too (they replied to my email).
I'd only heard their first cd, "More Parts Per Million," which was incredible (and according to Wikipedia, recorded for $10).
But I finally bought "Now We Can See" the other day, and I give it 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!
It's much better-produced, and now that Hutch Harris doesn't sound like he's shouting through a megaphone, he's actually a damn good singer.
I hate to compare music to other bands, but here goes:
Vocally, Harris sounds almost exactly like Andy Prieboy from Wall Of Voodoo (remember the song "Far Side Of Crazy" from 1985?).
Musically & song structure-wise, they sound like a mix of the Pixies, early Nirvana, Teenage Fanclub, Toadies, White Stripes, Pavement, Matthew Sweet, and above all, Fountains Of Wayne.
But don't get me wrong. The Thermals have their OWN sound, and they sound great!!!
Among my favorite songs: When I Died, Now We Can See (with its catchy chorus), At The Bottom Of The Sea, Liquid In Liquid Out (apparently about a recovering boozehound - simple yet deep), and the great closing song You Dissolve.
Yes, The Thermals are a great band, and "Now We Can See" is a great album.
Get this cd.
Get it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Likeable Post-Punk, April 12, 2009

By	Marcus Tullius Wardo - See all my reviews

The Thermals pound out low-fi post-punk. (As the band says on its website, they describe their music as post-punk "because adding 'post-' to any genre automatically makes your music sound smarter.") Their sound is stripped down and straightforward, akin to Green Day or The Strokes. While the sound is simple, the lyrics are smart and sophisticated and the album is a song cycle about life and death, or maybe evolution, or maybe decline and fall, or maybe the circular nature of existence. Or whatever, I don't think the band meant to create something epic but also didn't want stereotypical songs about sex, drugs and rock and roll. This album is light-hearted and fun and worth a listen.