Pitchfork on The Thermals

Local punk band on Subpop Records

clipped from www.pitchforkmedia.com The first few seconds of the Thermals' new album tells you every thing you need to know with just one muffled, distant sound: a church organ. You might expect the conciseness, but not the cleverness of such a move from singer/guitarist Hutch Harris, who continually flogs his band's music with phrases like "three chords," "two minutes," and "punk rock." Still, the band has made enough baby steps that this album, their third overall, is a true accomplishment. Harris' lyrics flaunt paranoia over our country's potentially Christian-fueled fascist future, while somehow maintaining his impish sense of humor throughout.