This time, The Thermals come to us via another label, Olympia’s famed Kill Rock Stars. However, having shed the Sub Pop label for that of KRS has not necessarily thrown them back to the minimally produced days of the beloved No Culture Icons. If anything, Now We Can See has more production than their last release!
Few songs have the rough edges of The Thermals’ youth, a lone exception being “When We Were Alive”. On Now We Can See, production equals cleanliness. There aren’t any sloppy riffs or slurred vocals. And, to be honest, I miss that from the old version of The Thermals.
In the middle, the tune “At The Bottom Of The Sea” is actually shocking; its the slowest, quietest tune from The Thermals to date (at least in the first half). Yet when the band captures enters the second half and cranks up the volume, that emotive element returns in full fashion.
While all these facts may present a modernization of Kill Rock Stars (or maybe just a modernization of this KRS band), it’s a clear sign that The Thermals have done their fair share of maturing since inception. They have also grown in popularity. What remains the same is their volume and their anger. For the fans that found those elements so endearing in the early days can rest assured that they will likely never fade.
Kill Rock Stars [12″ LP, 2009]
1. When I Died
2. We Were Sick
3. I Let It Go
4. Now We Can See
5. At The Bottom Of The Sea
6. When We Were Alive
7. I Called Out Your Name
8. When I Was Afraid
9. Liquid In, Liquid Out
10. How We Fade
11. You Dissolve
