Thanks, Moon By You, Rugby
Recommended
Thanks recently embarked on a month-long tour of Germany, returning home to Portland just in time to celebrate the release of their second full-length, No Mercy in the Mountain. Coming two years after their debut, this follow-up is the work of a band that has put in a lot of time in the studio and on the road developing and tightening their sound. With heavy, post-punk guitar riffs and haunting synth that seems to come all the way from '80s London clubs, No Mercy in the Mountain expands upon and sharpens the dark-soul sound for which they've made a name for themselves. Singer Jimi Hendrix—Siouxsie to her band of Banshees—provides blistering vocals and lyrics that cut like a razor, especially on "Bad Tattoos," in which she paraphrases Charles Bukowski before dropping the skewering hook: "Your love is just a waste of words." Thanks just dropped the first great Portland album of the summer. We're welcome. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY