Terrible Two

Album Review

With five songs, 35 minutes of music, and album art that would look great framed over a fireplace, Terrible Two is an experimental clattering of post-rock and art punk that's as frenetic as it is compelling. Engineered by post-hardcore legend J. Robbins of Jawbox for Thrill Jockey, Thank You's second release continues adventuring down the roads blazed by rhythmic heavyweights Tortoise and Battles, while taking informal cues from Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo. Like a jeepster in a jungle, drummer Elke KW drives the trio through an avalanche of tumbling tribal toms, recklessly skidding back and forth to the syncopated polyrhythm of her choice, while the other members try to hold the hellride down with simplicity. Organ, guitar, and bass are the primary instruments of choice for Jeffrey McGrath and Michael Bouzoukis. Single notes skronk to the beat, chainsaw drones vibrate the backdrop, and murky bass gurgles to the surface, while additional organic buzzes and diced samples invade the rhythmic assault in quick splashes. After several listens, these subtle touches become more evident, revealing the album as a precisely crafted grid of intricate parts. What once seemed like random gasping and unintelligible shouting becomes a unique part of the song that separates it from the burst of short hard tones that marks the next. For songs that sometimes pass the eight-minute mark, there is a surprising underlying depth involved, and scanning ahead a minute or two in a song can reveal a different tune entirely. In "Pregnant Friends," a swaying campfire ballad is halted suddenly by librarian shushes and flips to a jolting Melt Banana spastic feedback blast, before slowly converting into a groaning bass drone that peaks with a group shout. You may have to stare hard to see everything going on underneath the repeating riffs, but like good art, the beauty isn't always obvious immediately. The term art rock finally makes sense. Thank you, Thank You.