Two Guys Singing a Hank Williams Song

It seems so surreal. Bob Dylan. Johnny Cash. Together. The music. The stories. Did this really happen? It's kinda like walking into a diner and seeing Batman and Superman just hanging out together, sipping on a cup of joe or maybe seeing Jesus ride a dinosaur or something. And yet here it is. It's like a wonderful dream realized.

Thee Oh Sees

That was a little snippet from the recent CD/DVD release "Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion" by Thee Oh Sees. This limited edition package features live takes shot in and around semi-remote locations scattered about their home base of San Francisco. It also includes some humorous scenes with the band thrown in there for good measure. Banter amongst the group and timely quips. Things of that sort. You know, just kicking it and such. The band's originator, John Dwyer, serves as the groups nucleus. His past credentials are too numerous to list here so just look here instead. (Do check out Coachwhips). Thee Oh Sees have gone through various incarnations in their brief history and not just in name alone. From OSC, to the Oh Sees, the Ohsees, and now finally as Thee Oh Sees. The former OSC originated as a bedroom project for Dwyer's sound experiments but it has evolved over time from that, to freak folk, to it's current form as a full fledged band that creates a sweet brew of psychedelic tinged garage rock. The majority of tracks on "Thee Hounds of..." are a bit more akin to their work prior to their latest effort, “The Master’s Bedroom…”. Here's a side-by-side comparison that does a better job of illustrating their sounds evolution. More so atleast than whatever generic genre terminology I can dish out. And in case you were wondering… no, the drummers expression never changes. Ever.

Stone Cold Groove Exemplified.

Fuck an ABAB song structure. Just play this riff till the end of time and then hit repeat. In case you've never been formally introduced to the infinite force that is Serge Gainsbourg.... here you go. The clip you just clicked was taken from the 1968 French film titled Le Pacha. Serge was quite the eccentric character in his day and has firmly established icon status in his native land of France. His lyrical prowess is supposedly second to none but I could never tell ya cause I can't understand a damn word he's saying! Speak the queens english or GTFO! Anyway, his musical styling ranged through out his career from jazz to ballads.... and there was also some mambo, lounge, reggae, pop (including adult contemporary pop, kitsch pop, yé-yé pop, '80s pop, pop-art pop, prog pop, space-age pop, psychedelic pop, and erotic pop), disco, calypso, Africana, bossa nova, and rock and roll. Basically any genre that Allmusic.com has to offer. I am not well versed on his entire catoluge but I can say with confidence that this live album is absolute quality. Straight loungy blues sex appeal. Oh yeah, almost forgot. This also happened. Cheers!