Album Review
Although both the band name and album title would seem to be a vestige of mid-'80s spandex-clad hair metal, Theselah is a purely modern amalgamation of droney guitar pop mixed with garage rock. Conjuring early Sebadoh by way of Galaxie 500, fairly simple arrangements are overlaid with a constantly shifting array of alternately washed out and visceral guitar textures. The foggy din of dreamy light guitars and hushed vocals works well on tracks like "Nothing Special" or "Lazy Dresser," though the hazy mood is shattered by a few tracks of stuttering beats and abrasive guitar bite. Though the majority of the tracks are solid, the cycle of pulsing, screeching fuzz and muffled shouting in "Take It Fast or Take It Slow" is just a little too primitive, with lines like "flying monkeys without their fur/Hallucinations but I'm not sure" not really helping to sharpen the decidedly minimalist edge. Being only their second release, they can be forgiven for the occasional stray lyric, as the majority don't intrude upon the predominately pleasant listening experience. Ultimately, every mistake and triumph is injected with an honest sense of adventure, allowing the listener to both enjoy their best moments and feel confident that such moments will become more prevalent in the future.
