You Will Be Free – The Thermals
The Thermals are not a complicated band. Guitars that dominate the mix, which blend a little bit of jangle with quite a bit of punk. Hutch Harris speaks/sings/yells the lyrics. And after a couple minutes, on to the next song.
Over the years, the precise blend of these elements has changed a bit here and there. And they’ve experimented a bit with bigger themes and bigger palates. But ultimately, they’re still at their best just doing the simple stuff. So the good news is that Desperate Ground sounds a heck of a lot like More Parts Per Million.
This is not a record to move mountains or shift paradigms; the lyrics are a bit dissent-by-numbers and there’s not a whole lot of musical variation here. But if you’re looking for something that sounds real good real loud, then you’ll want this thing on repeat all summer.