Castlemania

iTunes Review

While Castlemania is built on the ‘60s garage foundation that ignites many of Thee Oh Sees’ albums, there is a loose, disjointed, avant-jazz vibe at play here as well.  The shambling, acoustic opener, “I Need Seed,” is not an indicator of what lies ahead: “Corprophagist” and “Stinking Cloud” have eerie, vaporous synths and flutes, and the skronky “Corrupted Coffin” feels like early-‘80s New York No Wave, while hazy mellotron collages form “The Horse Was Lost.”  But tunes like the twinkling “Pleasure Blimps” make a U-turn back into ‘60s psych-pop, and “The Whipping Continues” and “A Wall, a Century 2” are stomping, fuzz-box garage rockers in the best of the tradition. Amidst the handful of covers are blissful, lysergic takes on the Creation’s “If I Stay Too Long” and “I Won’t Hurt You” by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Castlemania is rough around the edges, a little uneven, and -- as we’ve come to expect from Thee Oh Sees — pretty darn exciting.