Castlemania In the Red***

Followers of San Francisco garage rock kingpin John Dwyer will know what to expect on his 12th album under the Thee Oh Sees monicker. It’s another helping of greasy, unhinged, psychedelic rackets straight out of the basement from that creepy house on the hill, with Dwyer co unleashing one oddly, perpendicularly skewered nugget after another. With The Oh Sees now a fully fledged band rather than a flag of convenience for Dwyer’s solo strutting, it’s obvious that the discipline of sparring with regular partners has introduced some heft and ballast into the frontman’s nonstop flow of songs. Both charming and explosive, the 16 tunes here rarely pause for effect as they concentrate on frying your brain and/or blasting your ears. It really does sound quite magnificent. Barmy, but magnificent. See theeohsees. com

Download tracks: The Whipping Continues, Blood on the Deck