 Thee
More Shallows
Monkey vs. Shark
( Turn
Records ) 2006
Thee
More Shallows
are a frightening band. Their icy, meticulous musical minds produced
last years soon-to-be-classic More
Deep Cuts, an ambitious journey through understatement and
mature alienation. Like More Deep Cuts, the Monkey
vs. Shark EP boasts pristine arrangements, bold, yet stark,
songwriting,
and a near-religious commitment to tone. On every level, the album sounds
beautiful without relying on maudlin levers or "look
everyone, I got a Moog!" art school wankery. The title track
opens with sampled percussion before some tattered guitar surfaces and
vocalist and ringleader Dee Kessler establishes the heavy humanity with
a lilting melody that seemingly sinks into the sparse mix like a large
vessel. It's sad and beautiful - smart and deep, far too much than one
could ask for from a band with a fraction of the buzz of your average
women's-jeans-wearing indie-blog darlings. "Phineas Bogg"
is a heavy, slow dirge that recedes enough to reveal Kessler's delicate
vocals but never fails to lay the dread on thick. "Dutch Slayer"
is a fearless journey down the indie pop dream hole: patient, enveloping,
and slightly odd.
This reviewer
typically distrusts covers, especially in a world in which Alien Ant
Farm, for however brief a time, owned a sliver of rock n' roll mindshare.
However, Thee More Shallows' nightmarishly entrancing cover of Al Green's
"I Can't Get Next to You" [MP3]
boasts more Anglican paranoia and dread than the Talking Heads
now ancient cover of the Reverend's "Take Me to the River".
Slightly less successful is a remixed version of More Deep Cuts' "Freshman
Thesis", titled here "Freshman Remix". The original is
a restless march of musical codeine and essential listening for anyone
who would ever be so inclined to read this far. This remix, however,
done by Anticon's Odd Nodsam and Why?,
strips out the shocking contrast of the fuzz bass stampede at the end
and generally smoothes out the crucial dramatics of the song while adding
only minor aural scuffs. The melody and general idea of the song stays
intact, however, which is more than enough to make this track worthwhile
listening.
Closer "Deadbeat Water" is a slow-burning, yet surprisingly
straightforward, ballad sporting more "up front" vocals and
even some pretty trumpet melodies. It vaguely evokes all of your favorite
bands at their most serene (Iron & Wine, American Analog Set, Modest
Mouse, For Stars), yet boasts a persistent, swirling organ drone which
watermarks the song as quintessential Kessler. Thee More Shallows is
a R_diohead for when no one's looking, a stealth assault on the rotting
pillars of irony, careerism, and juvenile marginalia that plague our
collective indie underground. Thee More Shallows is the quiet kid in
the corner who knows more than everyone, including enough to not let
anyone in on the secret. Even if no one's looking, no one really does
it any better right now. Yes, this
is recommended. -
Rooney :: (April.of.06) 
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