THE 405 RADAR: THANK YOU
January 19, 2009,
Written by Greg Thrasher
So unless you've been living under a rock, or have zero interest in things musical, you should know that the new Greenwich Village/Tokyo/Berlin/Brooklyn is what some refer to as "Wham City," but to the rest of the unsuspecting population, Baltimore, Maryland.
Whatever they put in the water seems to be doing the trick. Baltimore can be a rough town, hell you've seen The Wire haven't you? HAVEN'T YOU!!!??? Yet for a city not known for its delightful weather or pleasing socio-economics, Baltimore's creative output is absolutely staggering.
From noise to absurdest performance art, Baltimore is hemorrhaging some of the best creativity that is seen today – spanning all mediums. The music scene alone is like something out of a Timothy Leary dreamscape...(deep breath, and, GO!).... Dan Deacon, Ponytail, the Death Set, Videohippos, Future Islands, Adventure, Beach House, Jana Hunter, Wzt Hearts, Nautical Almanac, Ecstatic Sunshine, Lexie Mountain Boys, Teeth Mountain, Celebration, Spankrock, a couple of the Yeasayer members and even Animal Collective have their roots in Baltimore. All these bands are quite talented in their own 'What in the holy fuck?!' kind of way, yet there is one band that really gets my pistons pumping – the instrumentally restless Thank You.
Since their inception in 2005, this Art-Punk trio has managed to cut through all the bullshit, and I do mean all the bullshit, to produce a blend of chaotic yet precise form of art-damaged punk. While at first listen their sound can be reminiscent of bands like This Heat, Thank You's use of kitchen sink instrumentation somehow manages, to bring together Heaven and Hell, Black and White, Light and Dark. Listening to their sophomore album Terrible Two, is equal parts finding that special gift under the Christmas tree, and the flashes of ultra-gore in the movie Event Horizon.
Sinking my teeth into their latest and most notable album was like a meal I never wanted to end. Complimented with yelping chants, dissonant swells of guitar wash and sea-sickness inducing organ sounds, the linchpin of this lionhearted trio is the octopus-on-crystal-meth drum walloping. However, with the sudden departure of she-drum phenomenon Elke Wardlaw, the future was looking grim for Jeffery McGrath and Michael Bouyoucas, that is until long time friend of the band Emmanuel Nicolaidis filled the almost un-fillable gap. Too often an album comes along that with the courtesy of studio magic, sounds impeccable through headphones, yet fails to translate in the live setting. Thankfully (hehe), Thank You has managed to put that anecdote six feet under. Huddled around the trio in a dark and sweltering Brooklyn basement, I bared witness to not only the best band in Baltimore, but one of the most enjoyable performances I've seen in some time.
Terrible Two was one of my favorite albums of 2008, and in the case that the Mayan prophecy of 2012 is NOT true, it will probably still be one of my favorite albums in 2012...but as far as 2009 is concerned, I hope it is the year that you discover Thank You. You're welcome.
http://www.myspace.com/wethankyou
Listen:
MP3: Thank You - Empty Legs
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