More about: Thee Oh Sees

You would be hard pressed to list a handful of bands more prolific and capable of churning out albums than Osees & their frontman John Dwyer. The Osees (also known as Thee Oh Sees) have more albums than some artists have singles, regularly serving up a cocktail of genres in order to quench their thirsty urge for experimentation. 

Panther Rotate, the band’s twenty-third studio album, sees the band scratch another itch as they take on a whole new concept in the form of creating an album based off pre-captured recordings - courtesy of the Protean Threat recording sessions and other content the band had locked in the bank. 

Whilst it's not our absolute favourite piece from The Osees art collection, the soundscapes and genre fusion conjured up in Protean Threat leave us excited to hear of a complementary release highlighting how the album could have taken a different direction. While it would be a bit of a stretch to call Panther Rotate a collection of B sides, it is clearly the little, slightly more hormonal, less-understanding-of-their-place-in-the-world baby brother. Such traits could almost be desirable when the older brother is Protean Threat and the family are the wacky Osees but they could equally leave a sense of discomfort in said little brothers' company.

The album starts with the aptly named ‘Scramble Experiment’, a 5-minute loop with a beefy smashed drumsound filling the background, complemented by the odd bleep and trippy glitch. An unexpected, cringe-inducing buzz smacks of a virtual haircut experience, here though, making it one for headphone listening. 

‘Synthesis’ is a side to Osees that we wouldn’t mind seeing more of: somewhere between the vibe of early Deadmau5 tracks like ‘Broken Chords’, Radiohead and a melancholy Damon Albarn, it’s a nice little soundscape of harmonies that leaves the listener feeling slightly more upset than they were 3 minutes prior.

‘Terminal Experiment’ sees things ramp up again with an intro reminiscent of Goan-Trance or industrial Berlin techno, and we're certainly looking forward to the ‘Protean Pro-12ate (bpm)’ side album that develops this intro into a full 40-minute dance set. Unfortunately, ‘Terminal Experiment’ does not take as exciting a turn. The bassline is not bad but is undeniably forgettable as a whole 6 minutes later when the track comes to a close, with a distinct lack of gripping sound design or any additional layers that encourage the listener to place their focus elsewhere. 

It is certainly difficult to be overly critical of a band who have consistently released exciting genre blurring music and continued to remain fresh due to their willingness to get dirty and experiment. However, Panther Rotate just lacks that cutting edge and can feel a bit of a snooze fest in moments. 

But hey, for what it is, a rework based off a bunch of sounds that did not make the cut, there is enough evidence the guys can find a great groove and design some trippy sounds. Unfortunately, it is just a little too bloated to remain engaging throughout.  

Panther Rotate is out now via Castle Face. 

More about: Thee Oh Sees