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Thank You

Terrible Two (Thrill Jockey)

By Laura Pearson
Published: June 7th, 2008 | 1:00pm

Thank You sure knows how to make an entrance. The band's new album, Terrible Two, begins like the most raucous of pep rallies: thundering drumbeats, short blasts of fuzzy organ, and shrill dueling whistles. But unlike the usual school pep assembly, this Baltimore-based trio actually succeeds in capturing and holding your attention. Terrible Two isn't a self-indulgent wash of noise in a gymnasium with poor acoustics; it's a thoughtfully executed medley of sound and texture.

So it makes sense that Thrill Jockey, the label behind this release, describes Thank You as an "athletic rhythm/action unit." Indeed, throughout the album's five tracks — or five individual sessions of sonic calisthenics — the band demonstrates what could only be described as athletic stamina.

Beyond the first track, "Empty Legs," await other bells and whistles (literally). "Embryo Imbroglio" features propulsive drumming, scratchy guitar, a haunting vocal line, and yes — one or two whistle blasts, thank you. Meanwhile, "Self With Yourself," keeps changing its identity, starting with awesomely frantic drumming, moving on to dizzy organ loops, and concluding with more of that scratchy guitar. Like other tracks on the album, once it's over, you can scarcely remember where it began — though the steady drumming serves to remind. Yes, the final two songs, "Pregnant Friends" and "Terrible Two" also go all sorts of places. But rather than describe the instrumentation, I'll simply offer a list of relevant onomatopoeic words: clang, bang, boom, crash, rattle, rustle, whir, bleep.

If your ears have a short attention span, and you're looking for a lively listening experience (you're not gonna meditate, study, or fall asleep to Terrible Two) then give this action-packed album a spin. If your interest isn't already piqued by the fact that fellow Baltimorean-–hardcore punk legend J. Robbins engineered this record then surely you’ll at least be curious about the musical athleticism demonstrated herein. Go! Fight! Win!

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