Razorcake
"Insouciant rock music that reminds me of some of the alternative bands from the ‘80s who drew from smacked-out psychedelic rock. I think they should open for Spiritualized. They make me want to dedicate a sunny afternoon to getting blurry on can beer and cheap pot. My one gripe is that the songs are catchy, but don’t pick up where they need to. Still, this got played through twice in a row. –CT Terry"
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LEO Weekly
"On The Sympathetic Oscillations EP, Thunders distinguish themselves as a cut above the average garage rock outfit by never limiting themselves to the standard tropes of the genre. The group isn’t shy about showing their influences, but the quality of those influences means this trait works in the band’s favor — a little Joy Division here (“Magic Sick”), a lot of White Light/White Heat there (“Gonna Heal Everybody,” “83”). “Somnambulist” is arguably the record’s highlight, an expansive, psychedelic grind that plays a bit like “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” on Nyquil. After this onslaught, the acoustic closer “Letter to the Priest” is a welcome relief, and its sparseness lends yet another wrinkle to the band’s sound. At six tracks, the record is as concise and punchy as you’d expect, and more importantly, it whets the appetite for a full-length." -- Eric Condon
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Two One Five Magazine
"Thunder’s debut EP seems like it was under a lot of pressure from the
beginning. The Indiana-based band is known for stage performances that
leave audiences in a transfixed awe, Reider howls out lyrics with a
style that has often been compared to The Jesus and Mary Chain. The
band sounds like a lot of the garage bands that spewed were created out of the late '80s. This, unfortunately, is a good and bad thing.
Be warned, their debut EP is something to take a gamble on. Depending
on what track and the mood you’re in, such songs as “Magic Sick” might
conjure up images of some of the best days of your youth. The sudden
urge to lay out on a hot summer day with not a care in the world, and
smoking up on your friends beat-ass basement couch come to mind when I
heard “Gonna Heal Everyone.” Unfortunately, the more I listened the
more it sounded like The Thunders were a hit or miss band. Waiting for
feebback-drenched "Somnambulist" to be over was like itching at your
skin when you haven't had a cigarette in a while. The bands
high-pitched vocals along with raw garage-band energy can seem like a
trip down memory lane for some, but to me it just reminds me that
louder isn’t always better."
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Evilneedles.com
"Each song on this EP would be
perfect for a B movie scene where the protagonist stumbles about in a
heroine induced stupor before passing out in an alley covered in vomit.
If you're into the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed you've probably got
a stiffy right now. The Sympathetic
Oscillations is a tripped out overdose of gritty, sleazy, garage
rock for people who know what the fashionable drugs are and where to
get them in towns they've never been to. Sure, these people are usually
douche bags, but they're fun to look at. They're the guys that make
pink
women's bellbottoms look good. And if you hit on 'em they'll either
invite their friends for a gang bang or cry about the time they did
things they never thought they'd do for money. Anyway, yeah, it's a
pretty good album."
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Spectrumculture.com
"I love music with meaning and importance as much as anyone, but you
know, sometimes you just want your music to be intentionally dumb and
fun. Thunders apparently know exactly what I'm talking about, because The Sympathetic Oscillations EP might
just be the most enjoyable release I've heard in ages. I don't need to
settle into it. It isn't complicated. It will never be the topic of
intense scholastic debate and critical reappraisal. It very definitely
will not make you realize that there are HORRIBLE THINGS happening in
the world and you must STOP THEM.
Driven mainly by propulsive beats and bass lines that give your hips
no option but to shake, Thunders want you to forget about the HORRIBLE
THINGS and just dance, dammit. It doesn't matter what the singer is
saying; all that matters is that you let his melodies work their way
into your brain and never let go. It doesn't matter that the guitars
were probably recorded by an over-eager teenager who just found his
instrument; all you need to do is just take joy in the songs' wonderful
simplicity and the devotion to distortion spread throughout each of
each.
To this end, Oscillations is more successful in its first
half, particularly on "Magic Sick," which removes any pretense of art
from Suicide's first album. The song moves like an automobile and,
despite its simple rhythm and structure, features a dangerously askew
vocal that may just make it one of the year's best singles. "Gonna Heal
Everyone" doesn't have any edge whatsoever, but that's alright. With
the drums bravely attempting to keep things from fatally crashing while
the bass gets blown to hell and the guitar jingles and jangles around
the fringes, the song is ready for use as the soundtrack to the house
party that gets you kicked out of the neighborhood for good.
Oscillations' second half is still enjoyable, but leans a
little too heavily on peers like Black Lips and garage band covers of
"Waiting for the Man." There's a certain rambling charm to "83," sure,
but it suffers from its placement after the one-two punch of "Magic
Sick" and "Gonna Heal Everyone." "Thief" is too amateur for its own
good and threatens to ruin everything the rest of the EP has built up.
If you have one song built solely around tambourines and shakers, fine,
but when your tambourine/shaker vs. real drums ratio has reached 50%,
you're asking for trouble.
If nothing else, Thunders have proven with The Sympathetic Oscillations EP
that they're not just a band to watch out for, but one that undoubtedly
must be seen. Even if they're only half as chaotic and fun-filled as
this EP suggests, you're bound to at least come home deaf in one ear
and with a story to tell the grandkids." 3.5/5 - Morgan Davis
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Hybridmagazine.com
"Keith: Like Achtung Baby In A Priest Driven Ambulance with
the Jesus And Mary Chain.
Laurie: As in Johnny? Yeah, plus Stiv Bators fronting the
Bunnymen. That's how you RAWK!
Danny: Mudhoney, MC5, Iggy Pop - Good stuff!
Chris: Synth-heavy motor-city rock… Gritty, ballsy,
cool. Disturbingly, awesomely, droningly, slow."
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Snobsmusic.net
"The Sympathetic Oscillations EP is
the debut release from Indianapolis-based band Thunders. The quartet,
led by vocalist/guitarist Ryan Reidy are preparing their full length
album as we speak.
It's obvious from the opening
squeal and machine gun drums of "Magicsick" that Thunders have a deep
appreciation for feedback-drenched music. Almost each track is soaked
in Jesus & Mary Chain-style unyielding guitar fuzz.
Some
songs are more melodic, like the hook-filled surf viber "Gonna Heal
Everyone". On others the pendulum swings the other way, as on the
drone filled cascade of "Somnambulist".
The
band draws upon their Velvet Underground inspiration for the EP closer,
"Letter To the Priest", which invokes comparisons to the VU's own
"Sunday Morning".
While I remain skeptical of
most band's ability to translate a solid EP into a winning full length,
Thunders are off on the right foot.
Best tracks: "Gonna Heal Everyone", "Letter To the Priest" ... 8.0/10"
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Kronic (Italy)
"(roughly translated through a translator?) Assaults garage noise and reflections
.. We are in the state of Indiana where we are aware of the Thunders, training stars and stripes devoted to garage rock seasoned heavy doses of reverb.
"The Sympathetic Oscillations" is their debut absolute, a hybrid between Jesus And Mary Chain and The Stooges. The six tracks ladder alternating moments of high potential energy to an end (especially the final "Letter to the Priest") in which the pace tends to slow down, producing a melodic vein not necessarily evident in previous compositions. And in the end the mix of noise and melody is clear winner from the start of burning "Magicsick" all'incedere of hypnotic "Somnambulist" EP is a constant grind of urgent rock sound and subtle interference.
Crossed with dark veins in several cases, the U.S. debut of thunder is a good appetizer for a future that we hope will be brilliant."
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Vue Weekly Haiku Review (Edmonton)
"Spacemen 3? Lou Reed?
These guys pull it off like a
Tank top at Carlyle’s"
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Stylus Magazine (wpg) Top Albums of 2008Number five album of the year. "Gonna Heal Everyone" voted #2 song of the year.
check it out here!
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Artrocker Magazine (UK) / Conversemusic.co.uk
Featured in the NEW BLOOD section for artists to watch for in Artrocker Magazine February 2009 issue. Free download of "Gonna Heal Everyone" on the Conversemusic.co.uk site
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The Sympathetic Oscillations EP landed on the Top Regional & Local Release lists for 2009 on both MyOldKentuckyBlog.com and Indy.com
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Einstein Music Journal blog (NZ)
"Jangly, scuzzy and grungey tropical sun-stroked garage rock and roll with pop perverses and verses, Thunders come on board yelling and hollering atop clocking percussion and an almost wall-of-noise sound. Their EP is instantly likable, catchy and relatable, and super fun to listen to. I can't really find fault with The Sympathetic Oscillations, with its imaginative name and debauched party vibe, other than that more diverse production could help bring out the songs more from one another. But at the same time the crazy production is one of its highlights! And I'm sure that on a full length LP they would deliver with diversity in spades. In fact the final track, Letter To The Priest, with its captivating hum and finger picking, proves Thunders' willingness to span a range of genres. Psych country/folk/rock/ambient freak outs all ride the rock and roll wave, making the EP thoroughly charming and original. The song 83 is a psyched out stoner glam gem with twinkling tambourines and chiming guitars swimming over watery vocals. With a fake end in the middle and an eerie end that ricochets into the next track, The Sympathetic Oscillations becomes more memorable and adventurous the more you listen to it ... 8/10" ---Sarah
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What to Wear During an Orange Alert? blog"The Watch List ... Indianapolis is home to this fuzzy jangle-pop group. Their music is fun and fresh..."
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Tough Customer // Wire blog
" ... In this context, the label "garage rock" starts to make a lot of sense for that genre of music. Bands that play under this banner may have more skill than we did back in the salad days, but they still embody the energy and insolence that we were so proud of. Take the band Thunders from Indianapolis. Their new EP "The Sympathetic Oscillations" sounds like the reverb was pounded into it with a baseball bat. The songs bristle with the spirit of a teenager high on whippets. When singer Ryan Reidy yelps, "There's a party in my brain and it won't end" you get the sense that this band has turned (the) garage into a platform for taunting all the party-poopers and angry seniors in their neighborhood. You can put this theory to the test by setting up some speakers in your garage. Open the door, throw on Thunders and turn the volume up to 10. If anybody comes complaining about the volume, remember the classic rock axiom: If it's too loud, you're too old."
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Skatterbrain.org blog
"I tend to not receive too many things in my inbox these days that really interest me, but when I saw all the JAMC and BJM namedrops in an email from Indianapolis' Thunders, I figured I better check it out. The lion's share of their Sympathetic Oscillations EP actually tends to lean far more BJM than JAMC, which was a slight disappointment initially, but yknow, it's still pretty darn good. I'm still not sure how I feel about the vocals – there's just something about them bugging me – but, the screaming guitars and chugging bass, and the vocal melodies, too, on "Magicsick" have me pretty hooked at the moment."
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Rick Zeigler, Indy.com; "the Sympathetic Oscillations EP" Review
"Thunders is a local band you must see. The band has great songs, great musicianship, and outstanding stage presence. At their CD release party for The Sympathetic Oscillations EP at Spin last month, the awed and silent (LITTLE BAR-TALK!) crowd stood rapt as lead guitarist and singer Ryan Reidy led the band through a series of excellent compositions that combine garage-rock punch and power with the more wistful and feedback-laden elements of late 80s/early 90s combos like The Jesus and Mary Chain. It is surprising that this combination of styles is rarely heard, as Thunders' propulsion (outstandingly provided by Mark Tester, Brian Allen, and Tony Beamer on rhythm guitar, bass, and drums, respectively) combined with the howling electric lead work and vocals of Reidy, fit together like hand-in-glove. And while their first recorded effort doesn't quite match the dynamism of their live show, it still has plenty to recommend it. Recorded in six different houses and three different cities by Reidy before recruiting the other three members of the band to join his vision, The Sympathetic Oscillations begins with a straightforward drumbeat and, in the background, light guitar feedback. Programmed percussion and Reidy's high-pitched vocals enrapture over a long verse that gives way to an insanely catchy chorus/middle-eight. And as the song progresses, Reidy's guitar comes to increasingly dominate the sound with feedback-drenched beauty. The second song follows with a nice garage vibe again combined with a feedback undertow, but Reidy shows the variety in his songwriting over the next couple of cuts, as acoustic strumming combines with airbourne lead lines and no drums to make a lullaby of melodic noise. And while the focus of Thunders certainly rests squarely on the music, Reidy's lyricism can also demand attention, as on the final cut when he sings "Life is not a fight, it's a stroll into the light…And darkness for me is to fall into deep sleep." Such "gentle" sentiments are not often associated with bands that can call up the vibe of the MC5 or the Stooges at a moment's notice, but such is Reidy's talent. Consider The Sympathetic Oscillations EP as a taster for the coming full-length. And catch them locally while you can, for this is a band destined for greater things."
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David Lindquist, Indy.com; The Cool List 08 "Coolest Indy Band"
"Stack a band with musicians who have played in America Owns the Moon, We Are Hex, Those Young Lions and Ari Ari, and that quartet is guaranteed to receive a crush of attention in the Indianapolis underground. Thunders draws on such influences as the Velvet Underground and Spiritualized. The song 'Letter to the Priest' features the line "(Life) is a stroll into the light.' Thunders founder and vocalist-guitarist Ryan Reidy explains: 'I'm not one to think that life is something you have to toil through as bad things happen. Good things happen, too.'"
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Matt Erler, Nuvo.net
"There was no guarantee that Thunders' set would hit me on any meaningful or visceral level, but when they took the stage, they made it count.
The band's sound — a mix of Jesus and Mary Chain squall, The Stooges driving rumble and messy garage punk — is pretty much a perfect match for those late-starting shows, the ones where you want to kill the opening bands and spend a portion of their sets imagining their demise. It's just unfocused enough to appeal to everyone and just ambitious enough to appeal to those for who bare bones rock 'n' roll just isn't enough.
On Saturday, Thunders celebrated the release of their CD, "The Sympathetic Oscillations EP," but nearly half the band's set showcased its new material, due on a new album later this year. While it's probably too early to tell, the new material seems to showcase the band better than sole songwriter Ryan Reidy's "Sympathetic Oscillations" material, which was written and recorded without the benefit and input of a band.
The new material snarls a little more, hits a little harder, is more dynamic and gives the listener more to pay attention to. For all of the debut album's qualities, variety isn't really one of them. After a few tracks, it stops feeling new.
Live, that problem is effectively stripped away.
Reidy is a great performer, and much of his presence and act seems ripped straight from the book of Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Mick Jagger — and that's OK. Rock 'n' roll is all about cribbing influences, or stealing outright, and Reidy does both very well.
He's also a terrific guitarist — both indulgent and restrained, both flamboyant and mindful to his bandmates. He doesn't overwhelm the band's sound or presence on stage, but makes it clear who the crowd should be watching. That's what rock 'n' roll is all about.
Fatigue set in during the band's spontaneous cover of The Stooges' "Funhouse" cut "Down in the Street," and worried that I might kill myself trying to drive home, I left.
But if the band's set was any indication, Thunders is an act to watch."
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RockitBomb.com
"I had a chance to preview the record and, it is definitely worth checking out. Part White Stripes, part Led Zeppelin, part French Kicks, and part Gang of Four, Thunders opens the EP with some buzzy bass and quick trums on "MagicSick" and follows with "Gonna Heal Everyone" which brings to mind what the Strokes should be. I'll be honest, though, I am sucker for a hook, and the hooks aren't as obvious in the rest of the EP, as some of the songs break into a slow bluesy jam on "83″ and "Take It Like A Thief", a bit psychadelic on "Somnambulist" and the record ends with the quiet, but vocally layered "Letter To The Priest."This is definitely a band to watch."
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Spaceman Brad - Louisville, KY
"You guys like Spacemen 3? I can tell ... No one here likes that band."
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MyOldKentuckyBlog.com
"Ryan Reidy told me about his [ Thunders ] project quite a while ago, but like the a-hole I am, I forgot to check into them. MySpace is an ugly beast anymore to me. Anyway, lately, they've been on the tips of all the local cool kid's tongues. The band seems to have jumped to the local forefront with the addition of former Those Young Lions frontman, Tony Beemer. Beemer will be behind the kit, though, this time around. In case you've been asleep on it, Those Young Lions have disbanded and their drummer, Devon Ashley, has headed out West to play for the Icarus Line.
Anyway, back to [ Thunders ]...Gonna Heal Everyone is my favorite track so far...It's got a very west coast, Dandy Warhols/The BJM kinda feel to it.
[ Thunders ] has agreed to open the My Old Kentucky Blog and Monolith Music Fest present...Cloud Cult on April 12th at Radio Radio! The band has also been added to the bill March 19th, at Birdys, opening for Tokyo Police Club and Eagle Seagull.
If you are going down to SXSW this year, keep an eye out for this band as they'll be playing as much as they can. If you're working a party and looking for some quality to fill it in...give this a listen and get in touch..."
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