It’s fitting that Thee Oh Sees made a contribution to the Sub Pop Singles Club, because some intrepid and overly ambitious music obsessive could easily document their discography in a similar fashion as this lengthy list of Sub Pop’s releases. Somewhere in the glut of music the California psych/garage mainstays released in 2009 – right in the middle of their catalog’s sweet spot, in this longtime Oh Sees fan’s opinion – is the slow-moving, acoustic-driven “In the Shadow of the Giant,” featuring off-center harmonies and a pulsating, wobbly organ (which carries on like the extended dialogue of someone on their death bed, offering their final wishes). On the b-side is a demo of “She Said to Me,” a playful number interrupted by brass and a flutter of woodwind, and “Where People Do Drugs,” digressive and noisy in a way unique to Thee Oh Sees.

-Martin Douglas, courtesy of KEXP