Iain The Destroyer

I have followed Thrice’s musical development since their 2003 epic The Artist in the Ambulance, and like all of their albums since then, I greatly anticipated Beggars. My expectations of this album initially was that it was going to be mostly mellow, with a few heavy numbers or parts. It’s safe to say that it was definitely one my most anticipated albums of 2009, next to Portugal. The Man’s The Satanic Satanist.

What made me anticipate this album more was the fact that I was following its progress through Thrice’s Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/OfficialThrice), and through each tweet, I got more excited by it’s impending release. I knew it wouldn’t be long before it leaked online, and it did just that a few weeks ago, however with a watermark. Today saw it’s release into the iTunes Store, and therefore gave me the chance to listen to it without watermarks, and in decent quality. I understand why watermarked albums are leaked, for those desperate to hear what a band has done, but I much prefer to wait for the album to be available without any unnecessary distractions or pauses. I guess it’s the audiophile in me. The album art, as you can see, is very simplistic, especially compared to their very arty Alchemy Index albums, and the complex Vheissu. Perhaps this was to imply that their music was being stripped down, and they are going back to basics. Back to basics seems to be a continuing trend within this album, especially through many of their heavier songs within this album.

Also, this is their third album within two years (unless you count The Alchemy Index as one big album), something that not many bands accomplish often, and even if some bands do accomplish it, you can tell that the quality wanes by the third album, or even with the second one. However, this is not the case with Thrice, as each album they have brought out since 2003’s The Artist in the Ambulance has been nothing short of amazing, and arguably, each album has gotten better. The only band I can think of who has done that in recent years, and also improved, apart from Thrice, is Portugal. The Man, who have brought out at least 1 album per year and each album has been an improvement over the other (in my humble opinion, of course).

Regarding the album itself, opening track “All the World is Mad� is definitely a good singles song, and they have indeed released it as the first single from the album. Within the first two tracks, I could tell that they had indeed gone back to their basics, back to their roots, but still not shying away from their evidently more mature sound from their 2005 album Vheissu, which continued into their Alchemy Index albums. I do believe, however, that “All the World is Mad� is perhaps their weakest album opening in recent years, despite it being a good song. Thrice’s album openings have always been either very heavy and to the point, or melodic and atmospheric. “All the World is Mad� just sounds like another song from the album, not an opener really.

Track 3, “Circles�, could have easily fitted into their Alchemy Index series, with it’s good production, interesting vocal effects and guitar/keyboard experimentation. However, something that I noticed in this song compared to the first two was that the band are really beginning to sound rhythmically tighter than ever before – the whole band in sync with complex syncopations in the background of Dustin Kensrue’s fantastic vocals and lyrics; it’s sometimes hard to even focus on what musically is going on as it just sounds perfectly in sync with what Dustin is singing. With this rhythmic synchronicity, it makes me wonder if the band are really wanting to perfect their sound, and not settle until everything sounds together and just right. This is far from how they sounded in their earliest albums like Identity Crisis.

An early album highlight is the song “Doublespeak� which relies heavily on piano and percussion in the verses, and reminded one of White Rabbit’s current material, such as the song “Percussion Gun�. Another difference in their sound is Kensrue’s new usage of vibrato at end of vocal phrases. And the outro of this song was also fantastic, it will definitely become a great live track.

The next track, “In Exile�, sounds like it could have fitted wonderfully in one of the Alchemy Index albums, both lyrically and musically. After the second chorus, there is a fantastic breakdown/bridge section that you should definitely pay attention to, excellent use of double time rhythms and a great melodic guitar line. Kensrue’s lyric writing is also on top form here. This song too also had some transitions which may have proven awkward for other bands, but Thrice makes the transitions sound smooth; and this is true for all the songs on this album.

Just when I thought that Thrice were going to focus primarily on their newer sound, “At the Last� emphatically tells me “no!� However, it’s a half-hearted no, as, despite the intro of the song sounding more like their old material, the guitar tones and general atmosphere of this song just screams Vheissu-era. Dustin’s voice and the bass distortion in the verses also remind one of The Artist in the Ambulance era – at this point, you may think that I just think they are recycling their previous styles, but no. Something just feels completely new about this album, there’s a heavy focus on production and perfection, and I can tell that the band are more interested in how they sound sonically, rather than how heavy they could sound, which I do believe was their big focus during The Artist in the Ambulance.

The next track, “Wood and Wire�, turned out to be my favorite track off this album. Again, this song could have fitted into The Alchemy Index Vol 3 + 4 because of it’s mellow and rather simplistic, yet interesting nature. This song definitely reveals the amount of effort the band have put in to rhythmically tightening up, and making sure the production is top notch. I also love the 7/4 chorus in this song. And again, a post chorus bridge which crescendo’ed nicely into a heavier passage was a classy touch too, but the good thing was that it did not ruin the mood of the song.

The next track’s positioning within the album annoyed me a little. Coming off a beautiful, melodic song in “Wood and Wire� came probably the heaviest song on the album “Talking Through Glass/We Move Like Swing Sets�. I’m not one for bands randomly changing the mood from one song to another, I feel like if you’re going to do that, to at least hint at it in one of the other songs that something heavier is going to come. Despite there being a little heavy section in “Wood and Wire�, it was not enough compared to this song. It’s the first thing I noticed when it came on, how it shifted my mood and ambiance entirely. Perhaps this is what they were trying to achieve in the first place. On top of that, the vocals were severely drowned out in the mix for some reason, that usually does not happen with Thrice, who always have heavy guitar/vocal mixes. Writing notes about this song, I said that it was probably the weakest song off the album, and then the ending came on; and it’s beautiful. Fantastic use of reverb over nice little vocal harmonies.

The ending of “Talking Through Glass/We Move Like Swing Sets� smoothly transitioned into “The Great Exchange�, another beautiful and mellow song. The drums in this song sound electronic, despite being acoustic, which is an eerie but awesome effect. And the grooving in this song is possibly the best in any Thrice song I’ve ever heard…great use of ghost notes. This song could also have fitted in nicely with The Alchemy Index Vol 3 and 4, and it actually does just sound like a B side from that album…whether or not that’s a bad thing is up to you. Still, this song became my 2nd favorite.

The album closes with “Beggars�, which I can tell is going to be a fantastic live set closer. The transition into this song was almost like it was gapless, which I thought was a great idea; despite the 2 tracks not being linked. I also liked how the band manipulate the use of 4/4, and show just about any other band out there that you can create interesting subdivisions of 4/4, if you just think about it and experiment. Another feature in this song which I liked was how the band used timbre and texture within the verses to subtly bring each instrument in to lead to the subsequent heavy passage. That said, Kensrue’s vocals in this song are very impressive, going from clean to heavy with no problems. I also feel this was the perfect choice for album closer, definitely better than their album opener choice.

Overall, this album sounds sonically very even and atmospheric, and it’s obvious the band took lots of time over the production of each instrument. The order of the tracks is at times a little left to be desired, instead of bringing people to a certain mood, they bounce back with something heavy or mellow. Don’t know if that’s good or bad yet. They seem to be perfecting what sound they want, but not afraid to show off their earlier roots too.

****

wogbog

After listening to this twice it strikes me as them doing a less dramatic/emotional rock album. Not sure how much I like it yet though.

whs

This album is incredible, and this is a good review.

My favorite aspect is how all over the place the drums are, while staying relatively subtle. They're intense when you listen, there's always ghost notes and off hits flying around, but they stay in time and they don't overwhelm the music. It's awesome.

tjg92

I can't find this CD in any stores. Stores around here always have Thrice

whs

hard copy hasn't been release yet

tyke

after one listen, i like it, but i'm not sure what to say other than that. this one might take a while.

tjg92

This is why I hate wikipedia. Not really but I did when I found out why I drove around town before the album was even out.

selfconsuming_fire

Beggars is one of my favorite albums by far right now. Every song is perfect. Circles is an instant classic.

Praemorior

eh, it's alright.

Cedric

I'm glad you like how they sounded sonically.

wilcaz

I listened today and didn't think it was anything special. Had a couple cool parts but probably nothing I would listen to again.

Molon_UK

Took me a while to get into this, I used to get bored a few songs in and put on an older album, but now I've given it a proper chance and really listened to it it's shot up in my rankings. I love it.

Nommet

definitely a grower, like Vheissu

top notch songwriting, as always. thrice has done nothing but impress since TAITA (haven't heard anything before that)

Molon_UK

The albums preceeding TAITA are a different breed, but not too far removed from TAITA that you'll feel unfamilliar. More of a pop/punk vibe to it, but it's still Thrice. The Illusion of Safety is a damn good album, not familliar enough with their debut to comment really.

tyke

the debut is even more punk-influenced, but has a harder metal sound to it that they explored more on TIOS

Slash

I found my copy of TAITA that I bought when I was 16 and listened to it all day. Still one of my favorite albums ever. I don't think I've listened to any album for 6 straight years nearly as much and never got sick of it.

Unreal

I fear that I will end up with a Thrice tattoo within the next year. Words cannot describe how unbelievable this band is.

Cedric

This is really good.

I am really really impressed by the bass presence on the record.

wogbog

Yeah I'm starting to like this more. It's like... each individual song is really, really awesome but hasn't quite clicked as a whole album yet. "Beggars" and "Wood and Wire" are really pretty songs.

AndyT

the vocals on this album are my favourite aspect I think. Don't know how to describe it but, I guess they sound smooth and restrained, but have a raw edge to them threatening to burst to the surface at any moment. lol that is the gayest thing i've ever posted :/

anyway,

The Weight, Doublespeak and In Exile are the best songs, but honestly, every song is pretty great

Molon_UK

Every time I listen to this album, Dustin's voice wows me all over again.

Nommet

I like the soul (?) vocals that he does in the title track

this album is really, really fucking great. the great exchange is my favorite.

Degausser

They've just done a session for some daytrotter. The tracks are on the right of the page to stream.

Tracklist

1. All The World Is Mad
2. Circles
3. Come On Up To The House (Tom Waits cover)
4. Beggars

Nommet

some magazine? it's daytrotter

Degausser

lol, I've never heard of it in my life. I think I prefer circles from that session to the album.

Molon_UK

The title track sounds more and more like Boris each time I hear it.

jamesman

I freaking love this album. Circles is amazing.

Nommet

just posting again about how awesome this album is.

Dustin's lyrics just get better and better, I swear:

All the World is Mad

Beggars

Nommet

I skimmed through their twitter out of boredom. I love all the namedropping of great bands and shit. they're such cool dudes.

Pedal

I have gone into this thread several times just to try and write up my thoughts about this album, I have been writing for several minutes and then each time I have erased it.

This time I'll just say that this album... This friggin' album, it leaves me speechless.