Orc
Orc lets Thee Oh Sees move in many directions without losing their rhythmic force. Guitars can sound hard and sharp, but organ, synthesizer and longer instrumental passages regularly open the songs out. Two drummers provide a mobile foundation. This is busy music whose separate elements respond surprisingly well to one another.
The Static God immediately gets moving. Guitar darts around a relentless rhythm, while short vocal cries give the unrest a catchy edge. John Dwyer's voice otherwise sits fairly deep among the instruments. The collective sound comes forward before any lyrics can guide the attention. Even the most direct parts leave plenty happening underneath.
Animated Violence makes the riffs heavier. Drums add further accents and keep doing more than simply marking time. Cooling Tower instead chooses a bouncing, steady rhythm. The rhythm section's force consequently takes different forms while preserving the connection between songs. Its energy has more than one speed or shape.
Keys to the Castle changes character early on. Following a direct beginning, the music slows down and gives organ and strings much more space. Paranoise approaches colour differently: electronic sounds move around the song, making the atmosphere playful and uneasy at once. Additional instruments help the band change direction rather than simply decorate familiar riffs.
Those long detours require patience. Anyone mainly seeking short garage punk will repeatedly find more development than they need. The dense sound also makes every detail difficult to grasp immediately. Yet the energy remains strong enough to hold the record together. Raw Optics gives the drummers an extended opportunity and shows why this works: even when guitar steps back, the interplay has enough character. Orc generally uses its busyness to move forward rather than get stuck.
