oh sees

Oh SeesFace Stabber I’ve always admitted Thee Oh Sees (now just “Oh Sees”), first for their talent, then for their consistent output of good music, then for their work ethic, then for all three. One never knows what a new year will bring, musically, but one can always count on a new John Dwyer project. Honestly, with such a massive output of stellar material, it’s hard for me to admit that this band and frontman John Dwyer are still a...

Oh Sees Smote Reverser photo: turntablelab.com It’s a funny thing when you think a band has topped themselves to the point of no return. That happened to me when I first heard Smote Reverser by Oh Sees (formerly Thee Oh Sees). Now this statement (topping oneself) is a hard one to make for a band like this. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Oh Sees put out records like Donald Trump lies. Now there’s a thought… But...

Oh Sees ORC (Castle Face) Show me someone who doesn’t appreciate Thee Oh Sees and I’ll show you a damned fool. Same with all the other name incarnations of the band: The Oh Sees, Oh Sees, and OCS. It’s almost like band head honcho John Dwyer doesn’t want his steps to be traced back. Or maybe he’s divvying up the band’s output under slightly different namesakes so that listeners can distinguish them. OCS definitely was a different approach to the...

OCS Memory of a Cut Off Head Let’s talk about Thee Oh Sees… sorry I mean Oh Sees… sorry I mean OCS. If you haven’t heard of them, you should. Not just because they’re scary prolific, but because they’re also responsible for some damn fine music. Not hurting things also is their DIY approach to their craft: all albums are recorded by and put out on frontman John Dwyer’s Castle Face records. And not that it matters, but Dwyer himself...

Photos by Greg Scranton, M.F.A. gregscranton.com surviving the golden age...

There is no doubt that the Oh Sees (formerly Thee Oh Sees, and now actually just OCs) are an unstoppable force. Releasing what seems like their 40th album this year and another one already announced, it’s important sometimes to step back and assess what you’re getting with this band because their catalog can easily meld together into a metropolis of music. With all this published material, what would front man John Dwyer choose to highlight in a live set? The...