If you've been listening to OCS, formerly known as Oh Sees, formerly formerly known as Thee Oh Sees, for as long as we have, you'll remember that they were at times a rather hushed affair. Nowadays we've become accustomed to the band's frenetic and whirling instrumentation and feedback, but back in the day frontman John Dwyer, coupled with long time collaborator and former Thee Oh Sees member, Brigid Dawson, would make minimalistic folk-sounding tracks that were both soft and strange.
Now, longtime friends Dwyer and Dawson, have come together for a new album Memory of a Cut Off Head, and have just released one of the album's tracks, "The Fool". The new album, out November 17th marks the 20th Oh Sees release, 100th Castle Face title, and 20th year doing it all. Memory of a Cut Off Head was co-written with Dawson, recorded in total in John’s own studio, and is lush and sumptuous in texture, but satifyingly retains the gentle grace of the early stuff. There’s beautifully executed strings throughout, courtesy of Heather Lockie’s fine arrangements, horn arrangements courtesy of Mikal Cronin, and they even brought back the old saw - Patrick Mullins, that is - on saw and electronics.
Listen to the new track below.