BY NICK STORRING FOR EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE :
With a breathless, melismatic delivery that recalls Prince, Kate Bush and Mark Hollis (of later period Talk Talk), Thom Gill, vocalist/guitarist of his eponymous band Thomas, injects a mannered sensuousness into what would otherwise be a rather cerebral affair. Each track is like a day-glo pop slalom with unexpected turns everywhere. But while replete with complexities these tunes are far from dour math rock etudes. Buoyant, playful and downright catchy, a more apt comparison is the synth-laced prog soul of mid-'70s Todd Rundgren. Culling choice elements of jazz-fusion, new wave, '80s funk and smooth soul, and prog rock, but marring these elements with crunchy guitars, bizarre samples and treatments, as well as other sundry sonic treats, Thomas offers an outlandishly vast palette. Refreshingly, despite outré inspirations, the record steers well clear of ironic posturing, instead gleefully reshaping those elements into a sleek yet completely personal and utterly compelling sound. The album's two ballads highlight this welcome earnestness, serving as a showcase for Gill's soulfully idiosyncratic vocals. Some listeners might find the density of music to be overwhelming, at times, but if you're prepared, it can provide a sense of wonderment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY AARON LEVIN, FROM THE AMAZING "WEIRD CANADA" WEBSITE (weirdcanada.com) :
Turn out the lights. Light a candle. Slip into something comfortable. Take it off. Grab a drink and come back to the hot tub. Weird Canada is for sharing and I’d like to introduce someone to you. His name is Thomas. His new album, S E L F H E L P is the post-smooth hyperbole you’ve been waiting for all day. Fetch me a towel. Allow me to wipe the bubbles off my body and talk seriously for a moment. Thank you. Thomas takes off where the late-70s AOR, yacht-rock movement degenerated into slap-bass bull-crappery and his interpretations are bang-on. In the most serious fashion Thomas covers the gambit from Jodeci/Guy-jack-swing, Hall-and-Oats-esque yach-synth, and Sade–is-his-operator smoothness. Thomas has attended the Tim Buckley school of singing, accentuating his verses with grunts and hollers, bringing this pop-explosion into an other-worldly palm-tree paradise. There are elements of every pop cliche executed brilliantly and fashionably. It’s tasteful, sexcellent, and most importantly, strange; dripping with creative genius, every channel of pop has been approached from bizarre, acute angles producing unimaginably beautiful results. It’s the soundtrack to an alternate, psychedelic beach party where every dead celebrity is getting down; martinis in their ageless hands tipping their glasses to the young boy riding on the smooth-rock shoulders of pop giants.
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"I’m getting CDs all the time that are completely uninteresting to me because I want to learn something from what they do, and they aren’t telling me anything. For me, there’s another project, and that is to begin to try to create a structure of laws that can address the needs of 2010." -Tony Conrad
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"Jesus saith unto him, 'Thomas, because thou hast seen, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.'" - John 20:29
SCHNAAK + MANY ARMS + DISCORPORATE GROUPIES US-TOUR 2010:
23.10.2009 Philadelphia, Shredfest 25.10.2009 New York, Zebulon 26.10.2009 New York, Cake Shop 27.10.2009 Boston, Midway Cafe 28.10.2009 Amherst, Red Barn 29.10.2009 Ithaca, Community School of Music 30.10.2009 Cleveland, Now That's Class 31.10.2009 Detroit, Trumbullplex 01.11.2009 Chicago, Ronny's 02.11.2009 Madison, Revolution Cycles 03.11.2009 St. Paul, Eclipse Records - Early Instore 03.11.2009 St. Paul, Big V's 04.11.2009 Somewhere in Iowa 05.11.2009 St. Louis, Lemp Arts 06.11.2009 Hot Springs, The Exchange 07.11.2009 Dallas, Bill's Records - Early Instore 07.11.2009 Dallas, Phoenix Project 08.11.2009 Austin, Salvage Vanguard Theatre 09.11.2009 New Orleans, Dragon's Den 10.11.2009 Somewhere in Louisiana 11.11.2009 Knoxville, The Pilot Light 12.11.2009 Blacksburg, Champs 13.11.2009 Philadelphia, Black Lodge
You're show on Thursday was incredible. I look forward to attatching shackles to every musician I know, and making them row the boat across the land to your next one!
I saw you play a really long time ago at the Univeristy of Toronto music building with An Arctic Turn. I remember you being an amazing guitarist, and I'm really happy I randomly stumbled upon your page. "Don't think, just hate" is really awesome.
That was a great set at Sneaky Dee's. This is music of overall warmth fused with a hypnotic mix of jazz, psychedelia, and soul, with a lavish- electro-tinted approach that binds the sound together. There's an Elliot Smith quality to the vocals, fronting songs that are intimate, yet imbued with splashes of chamber-pop elegance and 70’s FM Gold. The sun continues to shine. Keep to your musical vision.
