Super 5 Thor

Gazelle (No Life/Echostatic/Space Baby)
by Lex Marburger

I’d put these guys in the same cubbyhole as The Dandy Warhols, but more down. That is to say: 75% Velvets influence, thorough knowledge of early Sebadoh-before-it-was-actually-a-“band” lo-fi indie rock (though they aren’t lo-fi themselves), and a firm grip on how to write a pop song. Now add Valium. Or perhaps it’s clearer to say that Super 5 Thor is wonderful two chord drone pop with some background noise guitar and effects, with all songs being faster than Low but slower than Love and Rockets. Kinda like Spiritualized, but without all that artsy gospel stuff (quit yappin’, Spiritualized is great, I know). Let’s put it another way: If you’ve been out drinking all night with some woman trying to chew through your neck (BTW, you’re rather enjoying the experience), and you realize through a blurry haze that the sun is up already so you both go out for Thai food and you get back to your place to do some work but end up sitting on the couch staring at the wall, the moment,the very moment before you fall asleep, that’s what Gazelle sounds like. Or say you’re in a bus traveling down a road by a cornfield in the Midwest. It’s overcast, there’s a breeze swirling the stalks into ocean patterns, not a soul in sight. If you crack the window just a little bit, you’ll be able to hear the faint sound of Super 5 Thor. If you heard their last release, Ford, you’ll notice a progression in their songwriting. “Alive” actually has a relatively complex drumbeat (although that’s not difficult on Gazelle), and “Lisa,” for all it’s ultra-sweet crooning, contains a guitar in the background that sounds like the Kraken trying to wake up. And the title track actually attempts to break the 100 bpm mark! Okay, maybe you’ll understand them this way. Get really stoned, past the giggling phase, and turn the TV on to a channel with just static, but keep it low. Now start humming gently to yourself… Hey. Hey! Damn. All right, next time do the other stuff first, and then get stoned. Geez, I can’t take you kids anywhere.