Tag: Oh Sees live album

Review: Osees – Levitation Sessions II

Never ones to rest on their laurels, or seemingly to rest at all, Osees put together another live-streamed show, Levitation Sessions II, and wowed everyone again with a great set of deep cuts and obscure cover tunes.

The show, recorded in an empty factory that front man John Dwyer describes as like “a fight scene set from Point Blank or the John Wick trilogy,” starts with the rockin’, swingin’ fan-favorite “Tidal Wave.” It’s hard to choose which part you like best. Dwyer’s fun guitar riffs? Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone‘s double-drumming? Tim Hellman‘s rock solid bass line? Tom Dolas‘ sneaky synths? Dolas’ synths take the forefront on the weird, wonky “Grown in a Graveyard” – a tune that keeps you guessing for its entire length. Then, once you kind of, sort of figure it out, they unleash a raucous version of “The Dream” – which might cause you to trash whatever room you’re in when you hear it, or stomp the gas pedal if you’re driving at the time…until it drifts into psychedelic bliss around the five-minute mark and give you a chance to breathe (but only for a moment). Dwyer absolutely shreds for the last two minutes of it.

“Stinking Cloud” is a jolly tune about death and heavy on synths from Dolas and Dwyer. The garage rock swing of “Enemy Destruct” is outstanding. “Poisoned Stones” sounds as gritty and grungy as you hope it will. “Spider Cider” is silly and fun (with Dolas putting his big synth rig aside to play rhythm guitar, no less). Hellman’s bass seems to hit extra heavy (without overwhelming his bandmates) on “It Killed Mom.”

Another deep cut treat is “Meat Step Lively,” which could almost fit onto an episode of Shindig with its groovy swing. “Snickersnee” is trippy bliss, which Rincon and Quattrone in perfect step as Dwyer stabs at ghosts with his guitar. “Destroyed Fortress Reappears” drifts into heavy synth psychedelia by Dolas and Dwyer and the entire rhythm section produces a hypnotizing beat.

“Web” is another great cut that builds up to a wicked beat and doesn’t let go of you. Hellman’s bass groove is outstanding on it. “Encrypted Bounce” is the longest song on the album, coming in at almost nine minutes, and it’s full of wild garage rock guitar from Dwyer and great fills from both drummers. “Beat Quest” adds heavy 1980s, and then 1970s, synths to the mix.

The encore was a set of Chrome covers: “Chromosome Damage > T.V. As Eyes,” “ST37,” “Looking for Your Door,” and “SS CYGNI.” The first is a fun, upbeat splash of driving beats and warping synths that melts into a lava lamp haze. “ST37” could almost be a Devo track with it’s goofy guitar and weird lyrics. Hellman’s bass takes on a sexy panther tone in “Looking for Your Door.” The final track is a hypnotic repetition of beats and riffs that slowly backs out of the room and drifts away.

Levitation Sessions II does a great job of making you want to see Osees live again as soon as possible. They’re starting to announce tour dates for the fall, so don’t miss out if they’re near you.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Osees – Live at Big Sur

Because they apparently are incurable insomniacs, Osees recently performed a full live set at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, California. They later live-streamed the show and released it in digital format and limited edition vinyl as Live at Big Sur. It was a neat set that included a lot of material they don’t play often and an encore of cover tunes.

Starting off with the garage-punk “Rogue Planet,” the band (Tom Dolas – synths, John Dwyer – guitars and vocals, Tim Hellman – bass, Paul Quattrone – drums, and Dan Rincon – drums) shake the ground right away and get you moving in your living room, car, office, or wherever. “I Can’t Pay You to Disappear” has Dolas’ keyboards happily skipping around the front of the wild track. The double drumming on “Opposition” is so good that you can’t tell where Quattrone’s stuff ends and Rincon’s begins (which is pretty much the standard whenever they play together).

The thumping, grooving “Crushed Grass” is the first song over two minutes. Dwyer’s guitar sounds like a ticking doomsday clock and Hellman’s bass is the soothing voice keeping us from falling into oblivion. “Heavy Doctor” is another fun garage rocker. They nail it so well that Dwyer gives himself and the band a guttural cheer at the end and proclaims, “Fuck you, song.”

“Ticklish Warrior” pounds out the fuzz, nearly melting your eardrums in the process. As always, any live version of “Gholü” is bonkers and ferocious. Dolas’ synths on “Withered Hand” sound like the wind coming in from the sea at Big Sur. Dwyer’s additional synths and effects are the sounds of ghostly gulls…until the whole band kicks in with the fury of the ocean hitting sharp rocks.

Dwyer’s guitar on “Voice in the Mirror” sounds like a pissed-off praying mantis. Hellman cuts loose on “Tunnel Time,” and band runs along trying to keep up with him (which they do, by the way, much to our delight). Another fan favorite, “Gelatinous Cube,” follows and I’m sure the Henry Miller Library’s grounds would’ve been a complete mess by this point if a crowd had been there, as a mosh pit would’ve already been up to full power and this song would’ve been like a collective Red Bull shot for everyone. Hellman takes the lead again on “Poor Queen,” putting down a cool bass walk that lasts the entire song.

A personal favorite, “Lupine Ossuary,” follows. That song always shreds and this live version is no exception. Dwyer seems to be exorcising demons with his guitar and Rincon and Quattrone sound like they’re shooting down German WWII bombers over France. The main set ends with “Dead Medic” – a wild jam that lasts over ten minutes.

The encore consists of four Black Flag covers (“Nervous Breakdown,” “Wasted,” “Jealous Again,” and “Fix Me), a rare Liket Lever cover (“Levande Begravd”) that absolutely kills, and a Faust cover (“J’ai Mal Aux Dents”). They have a blast playing these tunes, and their energy and enthusiasm is infectious.

It’s a fun record and, by the way, they released another album after they released this. They’re unstoppable.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Oh Sees – Levitation Sessions

Recorded live in the parking lot of the famous Pappy and Harriet’s music venue in Pioneertown, California, Levitation Sessions by OSees is another great live set put together by the Reverb Appreciation Society and the folks behind the Levitation Music Festival. It’s also another great live album from Osees / Oh Sees / Thee Oh Sees / OCS (By the way, John Dwyer, if you’re reading this – I recommend “Eau Seas” for the next spelling, possibly calling the album under that moniker Water Weird.) that brings out some old tracks the band hadn’t played in years.

The album / show starts with the crowd favorite “Carrion Crawler,” getting things off to a deceptively quiet opening before unleashing rock fury. Mr. Dwyer (lead singer / guitarist) and his crew (Tim Hellman – bass, David Rincon – drums, Paul Quattrone – drums, Tomas Dolas – keyboards) give you a four-count to catch your breath before launching “I Come from the Mountain” at you like a rocket. “Static God” is the re-entry burn of that same rocket, and by now you’re holding on for dear life. Hellman’s bass is the harness keeping you in the rocket’s seat while Rincon and Quattrone are the sounds of the heat shield nearing critical failure. Dolas’ keys rise as Dwyer screams, “It doesn’t matter at all – your fucking institutions!” Impermanence is the only real thing.

The post / garage punk of “Sewer Fire” is outstanding and might cause you to pogo in your living room or office. Just try not to do it in your car while driving. “Chem Farmer / Nite Expo” blends keyboard-heavy prog-jazz with mammoth-heavy riffs and cymbal crashes. It ends with Dwyer yelling, “We have fun!” “Dreary Nonsense” is both fiery and goofy, which means it’s great. “The Fizz” is one of those older tracks they haven’t played in a while, and it has a great call-and-response chorus and fun keyboard dexterity from Dolas.

“Corrupt Coffin” and “Together Tomorrow,” both each under two minutes, blend together like a punk cocktail made out of Red Bull, sweat, vodka, and highly caffeinated Earl Grey tea. “Night Crawler” is pure psychedelic fuzz to lull you into a smoky headspace. You take a breath, and then “Terminal Jape” comes around the corner to mug you and then shove you into oncoming traffic. “The system has been broken down!” Dwyer grunts as the whole band turns into a tsunami. “Rainbow” slows things down a bit, but it’s almost a feint because “Heart Worm” is a straight-up punk boot to the head. “The world’s so fucked up!” Dwyer sings. It’s hard to argue with him if you watch the news.

The band pauses a moment before “Transparent World Jam” melts your mind and perhaps your body into lava lamp ooze. As Oh Sees like to do, they end with a mostly instrumental jam. This one is the nearly twelve-minute-long “Block of Ice” – a track that reminds you of Zappa, Allman Brothers, 13th Floor Elevators, and My Bloody Valentine all at once.

Few things can top the energy of a live Oh Sees show, and capturing that energy in a recording is a colossal feat. Levitation Sessions sounds great and the record’s mastering by J.J. Golden cannot be understated. This is a nice appetizer for, hopefully, many more live shows to come.

Keep your mind open.

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