Oh Sees Retrospective #30: Metamorphosed (& More)

 

Part of what's great about being a fan of Osees is that they know they have a rabid fanbase who never feel overloaded with releases. Most of us, I'd wager, obsess over music in general, not just Osees releases, and the band see something of themselves in their fans in this way. Just as John Dwyer would be psyched to discover the side projects of Can or archival Miles Davis fusion era boxsets, he must also know his fans love releases like Metamorphosed, a weird wobbly beast of an album with three short leftover Face Stabber outbursts on side A, and two lengthy jams (recorded in one day while in Mexico for a festival) on side B.

And then I had to go and make things even more jumbled by also wanting to talk about two singles that are unrelated to anything on Metamorphosed in this Retrospective. You're welcome!

Metamorphosed was released on October 16^th, 2020. It has been given many, many different pressings and variants, so I won't even attempt to list them all given how wrong my info was on Levitation Sessions 1. As alluded to earlier, in this Retrospective I'll also be talking about two singles: 'Dark Weald' and 'Blood On Your Boots.' The former was released with no b-side on November 3^rd, 2020 as a digital download, as well as a few limited 7” vinyl pressings. The latter was released on November 5^th, 2020, as part of the compilation Be Gay, Do Crimes put out by Girlsville Records. The compilation was officially released on August 1^st, so I'm guessing the November 5^th date was when Osees could sell it separately. Anyway, we're going to start with the two singles and then get back to Metamorphosed.

'Dark Weald' was first heard in a slightly more embryonic form in the 'rehearsal' performance the band released on YouTube leading up to Protean Threat. Though I couldn't find any info to confirm this, 'Dark Weald' is presumably an outtake from those sessions that just didn't quite fit in anywhere on the album. I can kind of understand that—it's a bit weirder and not as hard hitting as the rest of the songs on Protean Threat and I can't think of a good spot it could slot into. It has an overall sound that feels like it could've been made by the Floating Coffin era lineup until about halfway through when it descends into super 70s prog keyboard territory for the rest of the runtime. 'Dark Weald' is a real hidden gem in their non album/non EP material, well worth the $1 to add it to your rotation. If I'm being honest I think a song like this helps define and necessitate singles collections. They're so overdue for Singles Collection Volume 4 and 'Dark Weald' would be a great addition. 

'Blood On Your Boots' I have less to say about, and even less info about. Based on its sound it has to be from the current lineup, maybe even being another Protean Threat castaway, but I couldn't find anything about its origins. The song has a surging, ascending quality and feels as though it ends right as it's truly getting going. I'd love for them to bust this out live, maybe segueing into or out of another song to take advantage of its momentum. Unlike 'Dark Weald' I could totally see this being somewhere in the latter half of Protean Threat.

OK, now for the main attraction: Metamorphosed. 'Saigant' absolutely tears down the house from the second you drop the needle, and is arguably heavier than a lot of what passes for metal today. I can definitely see why it was left off of Face Stabber, because it already had its necessary amount of kick-down-the-door, tear-the-roof-off short songs. Letting off the throttle a bit, 'Electric War' settles into a pounding drum-and-bass-led throbbing pulse as twirling guitars and burbling keyboards coat the background. Side A draws to a close with one final Face Stabber orphan, 'Weird And Wasted Connection', which seems a bit undercooked and appropriately outtake-y. All the usual Osees sonic elements are there, but used in kind of boring and half-committed ways. Despite being sub-two minutes it overstays its welcome.

Next we flip this beast over to side B, where the real meat of Metamorphosed lies. According to an interview with Dwyer on the Coachella Valley Independent website posted around the time of the Levitation Sessions 1 broadcast:

“That album (Face Stabber) is just such a behemoth, and was too much to listen to for some people.[...]There’s a lot of material that wasn’t throwaways, but just didn’t fit with the aesthetic of the record. I saved those for another EP, and it took a while to get enough material for it. Then we went down to play a festival in Hermosillo in Mexico, and part of the deal for playing the festival was that we’d get to spend a day at the beach and have a day of studio time there. We went in there and just jammed, and got two pretty great tracks.[...]It was supposed to be an EP, but it turned into a 40-minute album. That’s just the way it goes with us; we have constant creation.”

While I wonder if his experience jamming more on tour and on studio releases like Metamorphosed and Face Stabber led Dwyer to start up his improv/jazz side projects, I should try to focus on discussing these two long jams that are in front of me. Though it's the shorter of the two, I find 'The Virologist' more repetitive and tedious. It's essentially just a long vamp with soloing over the top. The bass and drums are doing almost exactly the same thing for more than 13 minutes straight while Dwyer and Dolas make spacey noises and occasional ear piercingly loud guitar interjections. I can see some Osees devotees really digging this track, but much like 'Nervous Tech (Nah John)' from An Odd Entrances it doesn't do anything for me. 'I Got A Lot', however, does something for me. It's still not as good of a long jam track as 'Henchlock' but it reminds me a bit of early Can ('Yoo Doo Right') or Velvet Underground ('Sister Ray') in terms of being a long, brute simple, repetitive track with hypnotic vocals that are constantly shifting in delivery and style, and coming in and out of the song. All of that said, I think both of these jam tracks sound more or less like what you'd expect from unedited improv. They're the sort of tracks that are great to play as background music for something else, like grinding levels in RPGs or watching those color changing candles melt while you're on edibles. But as 'songs' you'll give your full attention to, they unfortunately don't work as well. I'm sure it was really fun to play them but listening to them with undivided focus and/or while sober is a bit dull.

Well, much like John Dwyer, I got a lot on my mind, because I've never actually listened to Panther Rotate and it's next on the Retrospective itinerary. As I finish writing this sentence I'm about to hit play...

Oh Sees Retrospective #29: Levitation Sessions 1

As a fan of jam bands and jazz/improv music, I have a strong affinity for live albums. There is just really something about hearing people create in the moment, weaving new music and collectively improvising something that no one could plan or write. While I've certainly seen my share of great concerts that had no jamming/improv elements, it's something that, once you get into it, you seem to expect it out of every show going forward. Anyway, aside from this point, what other criteria make for a great live album? Well, there's no objective formula, but I think it can usually be categorized as one of three things: 

1) Historic nature of performance-- Jimi Hendrix's various live releases of his Woodstock performance would constitute a good example. It's not a great show by his usual standards but it's historic AF.

2) Excellent performance from one of the best concerts on the tour--Miles Davis's Live-Evil is taken from the last two dates of a multi-night performance. (You can hear for yourself on the Cellar Door Sessions box set, the last two nights were where it all came together, too)

3) Unique tracklisting (rare songs, unexpected songs/covers, different kind of performance than usual)--Phish's various Halloween shows have certainly embodied this. (Bonus points if you include their November 2nd, 1998 concert, which followed their Halloween night performance of The Velvet Underground's Loaded. The band decided to perform Dark Side Of The Moon during the second set as a response to low ticket sales. The show also ends with a rough cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' just cuz)

Some live albums have more than one of these elements, naturally, yet all great live albums have to have at least one. Since Osees have spent the last year and a half saturating us with live albums, let's start seeing how they shake out. We'll go chronologically as per usual, bringing us to Levitation Sessions, which I'll henceforth be referring to as Levitation Sessions 1 so we don't get confused when we get to the second one.

Here's the tracklisting, as well as the release each song is from in parentheses:

1) Carrion Crawler (Carrion Crawler/The Dream)

2) I Come From The Mountain (Floating Coffin)

3) The Static God (Orc)

4) Sewer Fire (Moon Sick EP)

5) Chem Farmer (Carrion Crawler/The Dream)/Nite Expo (Orc)

6) Dreary Nonsense (Protean Threat)

7) The Fizz (Dog Poison EP)

8) Corrupt Coffin (Castlemania)

9) Together Tomorrow (Face Stabber)

10) Night Crawler (Floating Coffin)

11) Terminal Jape (Protean Threat)

12) Rainbow (Help)

13) Heartworm (Face Stabber)

14) Transparent World Jam (Drop)

15) Block Of Ice (The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In)

Before we scuttle on, I need to address a couple things. So, 'Transparent World' is listed as 'Transparent World Jam' on some of the tracklistings, though I'm not sure why. It's the full song with lyrics, and not just a jam on part of it. On the YouTube upload it isn't listed as a jam, so I've no idea what's going on here. Also, after 'Block Of Ice' ends and there's a bit of silence, there's an unnamed short jam the band is playing that lasts for about a minute. Not sure if you'd count this as a bonus track or just something they were tooling around with as a warmup or what. Anyway, I digress.

Levitation Sessions 1 was filmed in the parking lot of Pappy And Harriet's, a bar/restaurant in a pioneer town in (where else?) Pioneertown, California. From the webcast I think they literally did set up in the parking lot while Pappy And Harriet's were shut down for covid-19. The desert minimalist look of their setup reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd's Live At Pompeii. (Intentional, or coincidental? You decide!) The webcast premiered on September 26th, 2020, though it's unclear which day it was recorded on. A digital download release followed on October 9th, 2020, along with physical releases, which I'll get to in a bit. Worth noting first is the March 9th, 2021 upload of the webcast on the Levitation YouTube channel. Anyway, physical releases: so far, other than the obscure cassette release, Levitation Sessions 1 has only been issued on vinyl once. I'll just go ahead and copy the explanation from Discogs.org: 

“Each edition includes a 7” with the final track from the show, "Block Of Ice" split over two sides & pressed on Desert Sand colored vinyl.

3 Editions planned to be limited to 1000 each

Due to a very high demand / success and because benefits of specifics release are donated to charity or venue the "1000 each" limitation was lift off

- NIVA Edition - proceeds will be donated to the @nivassoc Emergency Relief Fund. (https://www.discogs.com/release/19149424 )

- ZEBULON Edition - benefitting @zebulonla in Los Angeles, California (https://www.discogs.com/release/19144819)

- HOTEL VEGAS Edition - benefitting @hotelvegastexas in Austin, Texas (https://www.discogs.com//release/191253”

Got that? The important bit is that each edition is still the same color as the rest, so don't break the bank, collectors.

As you can tell from the tracklisting, quite a lot of the band's history is represented on Levitation Sessions 1, albeit filtered through the lens of the modern five-piece, double drummer lineup. That said, though, there really isn't much of the jamming or improv I associate with this live lineup until the typically lengthy workout of 'Block Of Ice.' Sure, the segue from 'Chem Farmer' into 'Nite Expo' is buttery smooth, but there isn't much else that shows off their chops. And much like 'The Dream' has garnered a reputation for being played too often by the band, I'm similarly getting frustrated with live releases that only truly cut loose with 'Block Of Ice.' I know they jam out more often, and on other songs to boot, so why play it safe here? Well, the focus was on other things tonight. Namely, an extremely high energy/heavy rocking set of songs, and a mouth watering tracklist of rarities. 

Opening with 'Carrion Crawler' instantly scores points from me, and featuring back-to-back obscure faves 'The Fizz' and 'Corrupt Coffin' with proper full-band arrangements? Take my money! The cherry on top has to be 'Sewer Fire', though, which brings me to my most important point about this live album: if it's not clicking with you the way their others do, take John's advice to heart, “meant to be played loud.” Hearing 'Sewer Fire' on headphones loud as fuck will get you where you need to be to vibe with this live album. Think sativa, not indica: the setlist is leaned very strongly toward high energy, hard rocking songs, with only 'Transparent World' and the aptly named 'Night Crawler' slowing the pace, though maintaining the brutality. Crank the bass and that keyboard/bass combo on the latter song will flatten your chest. 

People who loved the brisk song lengths of Protean Threat and the band's earlier harder rocking/punk/garage side will no doubt love this record. While it's not my pick for the band's best live album, Levitation Sessions 1 absolutely sets a high standard for future sets to compare to. 

Next time, though, we're headed back: back to the studio, and back to the Face Stabber sessions. Meaning? Meaning, we'll take a mosey around Metamorphosed as well as detour a spell for the singles 'Dark Weald' and 'Blood On Your Boots.'

Oh Sees Retrospective #28: Protean Threat

 

I know a lot of people who maintain the same look for most of their lives. It's as though they reach a point and they say, y'know what, this is going to be what I look like for the next 30 years. Same general style, same haircut, same overall health, etc. Not me, though. Over the course of my life I've been very restless, sometimes exercising regularly, sometimes living like a sloth...sometimes shaving my hair and facial hair off entirely, other times letting my hair go for more than a year. I seem to just...get bored of being the same way all the time. It's interesting to see a new face in the mirror every once in awhile. I feel like John Dwyer understands this fundamental truth, and this is why he changes Thee Oh Sees to Oh Sees to O Sees to...wait, wait, don't tell me...

Oh wait, after Face Stabber they became Osees. Right? Right. Well, then.

Welcome back to the Retrospective series! And so we enter the new era, the Osees era. Another name change, another change in direction? Let's find out.

The elephant in the room before we get to the actual Protean Threat album is the preceding rehearsal webcast/performance, on March 21, 2020. I have to admit to only watching/listening to this a couple times since it happened, and I don't know that I want to do a full-on side-by-side comparison. In fact, I know I don't want to do one. I will say that for fans of this record, it's a unique look into songs before they were quite 'finished.' To these ears the performances sound pretty darn close to the album versions (with one exception), albeit this rehearsal performance has a shuffled order. Here's the rehearsal tracklist, for those curious, with their position on the eventual album in parentheses:

1. Terminal Jape (5)

2. If I Had My Way (9)

3. Mizmuth (8)

4. Red Study (4)

5. Scramble Suit II (1)

6. Gong Of Catastrophe (11)

7. Canopnr '74 (12)

8. (I think this might have been changed a lot since the rehearsal, or I'm totally wrong and this is some unreleased song, but I think this is Wing Ruin. Nothing else on the album matches closer to it...) (6)

9. Dreary Nonsense (2)

10. Said The Shovel (7)

11. Toadstool (10)

12. Upbeat Ritual (3)

13. Persuaders Up! (13)

14. At first I thought it was a cover of 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' by The Clash but, nope. It's their cover of 'Don't Blow Your Mind' by Alice Cooper & The Spiders. Not sure if it should be counted as a separate track but at some point I think they're just jamming.

Finally, to Protean Threat proper. Released on September 18, 2020, it followed Face Stabber by just over a year. It featured the same core group from those sessions, with no additional/guest musicians this time out. Dylan McConnell, who has done several covers for Osees over the past few years, in addition to side projects like Moon-Drenched, gives us a typically abstract dose of jagged, vaguely digital looking reflective shards, like an early 80s post-punk album cover designed on a Windows 3.1 Printshop program. In keeping with trying to gather all the info about various pressings, my research on Discogs.com turns up pressings in 'Half Glass Of Kool-Aid', Neon Orange, Neon Pink (a Rough Trade exclusive that came with a sampler CD of earlier Osees songs), and black.

Just as Face Stabber answered the question, “what would it have been like if a punk band eventually made a prog rock record?”, Protean Threat answers the question, “what if that band then immediately went back to making punk rock, but forgot to turn off their effects pedals and keyboards?” In other words, it's a glorious bit of whiplash for a band who seemed destined to make either the next Tales From Topographic Oceans or, shudder, the next Be Here Now. Instead, we got a transformation that is more akin to what it would have been like if after Kid A Radiohead had said, “dy'know what, let's have a bit of that grunge/Pixies stuff again lads”, and it was actually really good.

If I'm being honest, however, I have to say on first listen I was underwhelmed by Protean Threat. It wasn't that I disliked it, since the rehearsal had prepared me for the change in material and song lengths. Moreso my initial impression was of a band who were simultaneously trimming the fat and just kind of sounding like themselves. In my younger years this lack of constant innovation and/or pushing to extremes would have derailed my enjoyment of this record. But nowadays I can look past my own taste preferences and enjoy this album for what it's trying to be, and what it succeeds at.

Further listens have revealed a wealth of great songs and moments.' Said The Shovel' and 'Terminal Jape' prove for the umpteenth time that this band has a hell of a lot of range and the ability to shift between styles. The former is a ghostly slow rhythmic groove that gives way to 60s keyboard stabs and an off-kilter bassline, and the latter, a new contender for “heaviest fucking song since the last album's heaviest fucking song.” 'Toadstool' kind of sounds like Primus or a jammier Residents. Am I crazy? Anyway, it's the longest track and shows how this new, svelte style of song lengths doesn't mean a dearth of undeveloped ideas or multiple filler tracks of half-baked sub-three-minute clangor. 'Toadstool' almost repeats in a circular song structure, like riding on a carousel while the band is all around you.

Now, can we just take a minute and talk about how incredible the Osees rhythm section is? Tim Hellman, Dan Rincon, and Paul Quattrone own tracks like 'Gong Of Catastrophe', a fitfully sleepy Can-esque jam that puts on autopilot as it cruises into the desert sky hitting its afterburners here or there before coming in for a controlled landing. The trio gallop all over instant classic 'Dreary Nonsense', sure to be a banger in setlists for years to come. Lastly I have to gush over the Stereolab-like pop-kraut groove on 'Canopnr '74', propelled by Hellman's throbbing bass.

Now, all of that said, my current tastes tend toward the psychedelic, the jammy, the elongated, the languid, so I find I can't quite reach the level of adoration for Protean Threat as I have with the last limb they were going out on. I was happy to continue cruising along the Mutilator-to-Stabber ley lines to further revelation, terror, and terrible revelations. True, we don't exactly know if Protean Threat is the start of a new branch on the Osees tree, with dense but brisk songs sounding mostly like their sound up until now, because they haven't had a true studio followup to it. Anyway, maybe a better way to put it is: Protean Threat is like microdosing, I enjoy it in theory but I honestly think I'd want it to be more intense and to last longer.

While we eagerly await the next studio album, we'll continue the Retrospective by taking a heavy swing onto the tree next door, harvesting studio outtakes/jams, a remix(!) album, and live albums. Oh boy do we have us some live albums to get to!