The first thing to understand about Terrible Two, the new album by Baltimore “rhythm/action” trio Thank You, is that it is background music. If that sounds harsh, try and remember some of the great records that work just as well when you’re not paying attention as when you’re digging for details. Can and Neu! are obvious. Brian Eno is too easy. And just look at all that Chicago noise released on Thank You’s venerable label, Thrill Jockey. This doesn’t mean it is music to be ignored, just satisfying music that stands up to a number of situations. Oh, if only all background music could be as good as Terrible Two. The stylistic range of Terrible Two is a real treat and surprisingly cohesive. Squiggly guitar noise and feedback, seductive organ
drones, jittery jazz-inflected drumming, and bits of gentle melodies (sometimes profound in their emotional weight, other times simply evanescent) come and go throughout the record. Thank You tackles a wide range of styles, and yet Terrible Two’s songs feel as of a piece, segments of one continuously shifting composition. And a tasty composition it is, well worth the time it takes for these five tracks to unfurl. It’s music that rewards close attention but does not require it. Put this on in your apartment when you’re having a few fellow hipsters over for dinner, and your guests are guaranteed to think you know something about music (hell, you even might). Put this on during some quiet spring afternoon with nothing to do but sit and
listen, and you’ll find yourself immersed in clever left turns and detailed sonics. Terrible Two is background music of the highest order—thoughtful, intricate, and inventive rock-derived music that stands up to analysis, but can liven an atmosphere simply by being there.
– Mike McGovern
Thank You: www.myspace.com/wethankyou
Thrill Jockey: www.thrilljockey.com