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August 29, 2006
The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
It starts with an organ. Then Hutch Harris preaches about God razing the Earth to assert his authority; a few tracks later he's snarling "So give us what we're asking for / 'cos either way we're going to take it / Our power doesn't run on nothing / We need the land you're standing on". The Thermals have imagined a fascist Christian state and put it into an LP which should replace that shoddy Green Day album in the jamboxes of young rebels everywhere.
Most impressive here is the range of expression. Harris is all of God, a refugee, a preacher and Dick Cheney in thirty-five minutes. "A Pillar of Salt" and the attached "Returning to the Fold" are some of the catchiest things you'll hear this year, but their messages are also clear and they have the lo-fi charm of the preceding albums. There's even a beautiful ballad in "Test Pattern". It's a triumph, and I write that as both a Christian and a conservative.
MP3: Returning to the Fold (from The Body, The Blood, The Machine)
Buy The Body, The Blood, The Machine from Sub Pop
Posted by dylanm at August 29, 2006 02:15 PM