In The Red

On their second LP in the span of six months, Thee Oh Sees take a drastic left-hand turn away from the bubblegum psych-pop of mid-2011’s Castlemania and closer to the vein of their mercurial, barn-burning live shows. The band has expanded into a five-piece, and chief Seer John Dwyer conducts a full-tilt froth that falls somewhere between The Flaming Lips and The Flamin’ Groovies. Originally planned as two separate EPs, the ten tracks featured here were cut live to tape in just under a week, perfectly capturing the band’s distinct Bay Area boogie bombast in a way that perfectly mirrors their intense stage presence. Punctuated by the scorching choogle of tracks like the instrumental “Chemfarmer” and the head throbbing “Crushed Grass,” Carrion Crawler/The Dream is easily Thee Oh Sees’ hottest work to date.