Concept: Surfer jams with a touch of the macabre…I guess it’s the musical equivalent of an attempt at intellectualizing Scooby-Doo. No matter what you do, you can’t exactly fail.
Sound: This is in fact good music to play at a Halloween party, as the cover might suggest. Bleary, rusted production quality with harsh echoing yelps, rolling drums, and rigid guitar makes for something both amusing and at least go-go danceable.
Lyrics: The important edge Thee Oh Sees have is that they aren’t trying too hard; maybe they aren’t trying at all, but that’s beside the point. Their lyrics are occassionally nonsense and always silly, but there are a few especially quirky or subtle lines that can really stick to you, as surely as you remember Itsy Bitsy Spider. “It’s so easy to fall/ like an unfurling flag/ it’s so easy to fall down in the courtyard.”
Quick And Dirty: Quick and dirty. (♦♦♦½)