Thank You
Terrible Two
(Thrill Jockey, 2008)

Baltimore noise-rock trio Thank You’s sophomore record is a five-song and 35-minute affair composed of aggressive melodies and non-melodies welded to kinetic drums and tacit grooves. Their approach sounds like Miles Davis’ On the Corner siphoned through the whirlpool of no-wave, and the results are splintered guitar lines, fast, intricate, imperfect drumbreaks, and cascades of organ subverted by plucky bass.

Since all of these tracks are long by conventional standards, there are progressions and arrangements that call for helpful roadmaps, at least for the initial purpose of conveying their M.O. Title track “Terrible Two” is dominated by keyboard and cymbal whitewash until 2:30, when the hook is introduced—a brooding, low-end organ riff anchored by the tribal tendencies and sleigh bells of drummer Elke Wardlaw. At 4:30 Wardlaw takes a solo, but the bass keys sneak back in and keep the song pulsating for the remaining four minutes. “Self With Yourself” has a unique arrangement in which guitarist Jeffrey McGrath and keyboardist Michael Bouyoucas take turns playing against Wardlaw for minutes on end, while sharing only a brief moment as a trio. “Pregnant Friends” is a three-part piece. It begins with fecund lyrics and clean—even acoustic—guitar, resulting in near-halcyon bliss. But at the three-minute mark, after a volley of “Shhs,” the song explodes into one of the most aggressive and exciting portions of the record, all punk, with guitars and keys churning out wails and gasps. The song ends with Bouyoucas delivering a very fuzzy keyboard-bass solo punctuated, nay punctured, by snare and cowbell courtesy of Wardlaw.

Terrible Two is nearly all instrumental. Although there are chants sung in unison here and there, the chorale is so buried in the mix that individual words can’t be made out; the effect is similar to the singing that appeared on Joe Zawinul’s Weather Report material, especially the non-descript oohs on “Embryo Imbroglio.” Since the lyrics are so few and far between, and since Thank You was nice enough to post them all on MySpace, we’ll run them down, unabridged, here: From “Empty Legs”, “Honest promise / Ha ha!”; from “Terrible Two”, “Room enough inside / Room enough outside / There is a line and it is fine / So fine”; and from “Pregnant Friends”, “Are we Amen, Amen / We are fat again / This one never ends / Keep on trying to pretend / We thought you were pregnant friends.”

The title and lyrics all concern birth and providence: The “Embryo Imbroglio” is either the specter of pregnancy, or a problem child to be—especially when he hits that dreaded, terrible age of two. “Empty Legs” could be read as the dread of miscarriage. The title track’s “Room enough inside / Room enough outside” is likely an acceptance of habitat both inside and outside the maternal home. “Pregnant Friends”, though cryptic, is obviously literal enough to keep within the scope of this theme, and contains the only lyric that gives thanks for pregnancy, “Are we Amen, Amen / We are fat again.”

Since the recording of Terrible Two, drummer Wardlaw has left the band, amicably, heeding the call of the distant land of Berlin. Emmanuel Nicolaidis has joined in her stead, and although he is not represented on this record, his understanding of, and ability to fulfill, the Thank You concept are evident on his recordings with More Dogs, another band that counted Bouyoucas as one of its three members. More Dogs was, essentially, a forerunner to Thank You, and from what I’ve heard the paradigm was similar, though airier, sparser, generally lighter, and less grueling. While bells, whistles, and unidentifiable noise are heard here, especially on opener “Empty Legs”, the More Dogs had a humorous three-ring aesthetic that Thank You eschews in favor of full-throttle mayhem.

Terrible Two is recommended listening for conceptual dinner parties, rough sex, and playing hockey. It is not recommended for balancing the checkbook, staving off panic attacks, or rush-hour driving. A note for producers, beat-junkies, et al: If you’re into loops, the press-release for Terrible Two practically demands that you sever the beats here for your own purposes. Be safe and have fun.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

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