I didn't even know Thrice had even been on hiatus. I kinda stopped paying attention after "The Alchemy Index" EPs, honestly, but I always held them as a band in fairly high regard. I love their early stuff and "The Artist in the Ambulance" was on nearly constant repeat for awhile in my high school girlfriend's room. I found their transformation from emo-punk to hard alt-rock to be somewhat disappointing and boring, but I could see what they were going for. It was still quality output, if a bit slow and pretentious for my tastes.
Apparently they took a break after their 2012 album "Majors/Minors," which I never listened to so I can't comment on how far removed that last effort is from this new one. I can say, however, that this new album "To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere" is a million miles away even from the toned-down Thrice I had already written off a decade ago.
First of all, vocalist Dustin Kensrue doesn't sound like old self whatsoever. He still sounds strained and gruff but it just somehow doesn't sound like the same singer to me. I noticed it right away and it's weird. I can't illustrate this aspect of the album more clearly, or make a bigger insult regarding his vocals, than what my roommate asked me as I was making my breakfast whilst blasting the album through our living room TV:
"Are you listening to fucking Daughtry?"
Dusty, I'm sure that hurts, and you deserve the pain.
Much like bands younger than them, such as A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon, Thrice's new material is almost completely stripped of their roots in punk/hardcore/emo/etc. and seems to be entirely catered to the festival market in its insipid accessibility. Its like if Kings Of Leon made an attempt at a post-hardcore-esque album. The song "Stay With Me," in particular, sounds like it was pre-planned for an uplifting reality-show montage, it's so cheesy. I expect this kind of shit out of the All-American Rejects or All Time Low, not you, Thrice.
The end of the album has some slight reminders of the style most Thrice fans are akin to, particularly the song "Whistleblower," but its a case of being too little too late, too far into the mess. If my roommate thinks you sound like Daughtry, he's not gonna get far enough into the album to hear the 2 songs that kinda sound like old Thrice. It's a statement to my music-OCD that I made it that far myself.
The last song is a mixed bag; it displays the more-mainstream affectation that Kensrue has put on his voice to its worst dimension, sounding somewhere in-between the singers of The Flaming Lips and Deer Tick but without either of their irony. It is, however, the most tranquil and subtle song on the album; for some reason it reminded me of a more-electrified version of "Farewell and Goodnight" by The Smashing Pumpkins. That's far and away the best thing I can say about this album, and that's really not even a standout Pumpkins song.
I'm sure this album will get its fair share of coverage because of the aforementioned hiatus, but in my ears this 'comeback' album doesn't even sound like the band I used to love at all. Instead it's something that I normally would have avoided if not for the name of the band.
Unfortunately, strongly not recommended.
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