The Thermals - Now We Can See

This Portland-based trio (sometimes duo) received high praise for their 2006 album The Body, The Blood, The Machine with its grunge-pop tunefulness and the insight of singer Hutch Harris’ nihilistic storytelling. Fourth LP Now We Can See retains the same deceptively simple musical ethos, and though discarding the political/religious polemic which made TBTBTM so invigorating, is still an engaging source of food for thought. Liquid In, Liquid Out ("it’s what my life was all about") sees Harris muse on someone's battle with alcoholism, with the (almost) playful suggestion that this might have been a fun time. Equal stand-out We Were Sick may be a reflection on the same theme ("We were high, we were alive, we were sick"), yet musically calls to mind Weezer’s finest examples of college rock. As does the title track and first single - an infectious ode to evolution, and a pop gem to boot. [Paul Mitchell]