Face Stabber

Album review

OCS, The Oh Sees, Thee Oh Sees, Oh Sees … Under many names, for the past 20 years, the Rhode Island oddity has practiced blending music with the bizarre. Which is why Henchlock, the 21-minute long Frankstein fusion-rock single, was an expected surprise. Though a first listen-through of Face Stabber yielded its fair share of raised eyebrows as well. Is that John Dwyer, squeezing a plastic duck like Oswald Cobblepot during a manic episode? Luckily for this double-drummer four-man squad, subversive rimes with hilarious: after that brief introduction, the psychedelic meandering which had grown in power on Smote Reverser (2018) seems to be back in full force. The rhythm section in this version of the Oh Sees is undoubtedly a focal point: on the Santana-ish fever of The Experimenter, or the extended jam of Henchlock, a good stereo system or a nice pair of open-back headphones might be necessary to hear the discrepancies and the interlocking parts being played by each drummer. Oh Sees also go back to their roots with a few frenzied garage tracks like Gholü and Heartworm – two killer tracks that list just under 2 minutes long each. Besides these adrenaline-fueled romps, much of the record is spent exploring the border between prog and jazz, with added saxophone and organs (the musical kind). The result is a fun, organic and emotional record. ©Alexis Renaudat / Qobuz