More Deep Cuts, the second album by the San Francisco band Thee More Shallows and their first for Turn Records, arrived some time after the band's debut LP, A History of Sport Fishing, garnered glowing reviews and sent them on US and UK tours. After returning home, songwriter Dee Kesler and producer Tadas Kisielius, along with bandmates Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzalez retreated to their studio to work on the follow-up. What was planned as mere weeks of recording turned into months of fine-tuning and tweaking, and those months turned into years spent obsessing over every detail of what would become their new record.
When More Deep Cuts emerged, it was evident that the tireless, uncompromising work had paid off: The record showcased a dizzying evolution of TMS's sound. Reflecting the band's painstaking recording process, More Deep Cuts is about standing in place while the world whirls around you. As toy pianos and French horns crash into strings and decay into orchestras warped and bent beyond recognition, the sensible, ultra-clear voice of Dee Kesler adds a steady eye to the storm. And it is precisely this juxtaposition of chaos and calm, abandon and resolve, which makes More Deep Cuts so compelling.
In May 2006, Thee More Shallows released an epilogue to More Deep Cuts on Turn Records, entitled Monkey vs. Shark. The EP gathers loose ends and assembles them in a dazzling collection of epic sounds that continues to showcase a brilliant band coming into its own. It includes their haunting rendition of the Al Green/Temptations classic, "I Can't Get Next To You," as well as standout tracks "Monkey vs. Shark" and "Dutch Slaver."
Sitting at the songwriting helm is Dee (David) Kesler, joined by Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales sharing drums, samples, keyboards, and bass. |
Track Listing:
Monkey vs. Shark
Int#3
Phineas Bogg
Dutch Slaver
I Can't Get Next To You [mp3]
Freshman Remix
Deadbeat Water
Release Notes: US Version contains two extra tracks, Phineas Bogg and Deadbeat Water, which originally appeared on the UK's Cuts Plus Two single. Freshman Remix featured Odd Nosdam and Why?. I Can't Get Next To You is a rerecorded version of the Al Green/Temptations cover that Thee More Shallows originally recorded for BBC1. |
