Thrice – “The Illusion of Safety”

This is Thrice’s second studio album. To me personally, I feel they took a step backwards with this one. The songs don’t have the same quality to them that their first album was full of. I suppose the blame can lie on the overall sound of this album, and way too much snare drum. But that’s not to say that there aren’t any good songs on here. There are a few great Thrice classics on here, so don’t give up on this album yet. The least favorite of mine among Thrice’s discography.

1. Kill Me Quickly – Nothing special going on in this song until about 1:25 – 2:10. I love the mental dance that this instrumental portion composes in your head.
2. A Subtle Dagger – More or less the same music as displayed in track 1.
3. See You In The Shallows – Ah. Now we get into some classic Thrice riffage. Not the best song, but at least we get some change of pace and some riffs.
4. Betrayal is a Symptom – See “A Subtle Dagger” + heavier instrumentation.
5. Deadbolt – Intense intro, raging guitars throughout the song, and great riffs. Great song, but still not the best on the album.
6. In Years to Come – One of my favorites on the album, if not my absolute favorite. The strong point of this song is that it is a little more mellow and offset from the rest of the album – though still very upbeat – making it stick out more. The lyrics are also noteworthy.
7. The Red Death – 0:34 – 0:52 is pretty cool with layered guitar riffing and palm muting. Similar phrasing occurs during the second verse.
8. A Living Dance Upon Dead Minds – Another mellower song, but nothing exactly noteworthy aside from a noticeably different drum beat on this track. The best part is the mild outro.
9. Where Idols Once Stood – More heavy riffing and chugging guitars. 2:10 – 2:20 is pretty sweet.
10. Trust – Clearly the most unique song on the album, though I’m not very keen on liking it.
11. To Awake and Avenge The Dead – Another one of my favorites on the album, this song is full of gorgeous, heavy riffage. The ending guitar solo segment (2:18 – end) is the best part, particularly because the guitar “sings”. Quite a feat that not a lot of people can do.
12. So Strange I Remember You – I love the mellow clean guitar instrumentation from 0:14 – 0:42. The main portion of this song, again, is nothing spectacular. But this mediocre song is book-ended by awesomeness. Awesome intro, awesome outro (2:28 – end). Best guitar solo on the album. Pardon me while I go turn my volume up…
13. The Beltsville Crucible – Jumping from the incredible ending of the previous track, the album launches into this closer. Great track overall. This song sums up the evidence that Thrice’s mellow side on this album clearly out-performs the raw side.

Thrice – “Identity Crisis”

This will be my first review of the band Thrice, who have been my favorite band for several years. Before dismissing them after listening to one or two songs, consider this:

I have never experienced a band with more diversity than Thrice (Radiohead comes close in diversity, but Thrice is just more rounded). Their early days spawned metal riffs, thrashing beats, and hardcore vocals. Their middle years brought a more refined sound, experimenting with new ideas, sounds, and song-writing. And, most recently, they’ve developed their own style of hard rock. I’m not going to lie and say “they’re the greatest band ever!!”, but I will say that I do respect them for never delivering the same kind of album twice… nor even thrice.

Dustin Kensrue is one of the most thoughtful and meaningful lyricists of today. Whether he’s telling a story with a moral to it, helping others to look in the right direction when things are glum, or even unashamedly pointing out the wrongs in our lives, Dustin does it with a style that has matured over his career.

This review will be of Thrice’s first studio album. It’s passionate, energetic… and deeply needs better mastering. The songs hit hard and fast, with the album concluding stronger than it started. The final four tracks finish with a bang after an already solid bit of music. A definite favorite of mine among Thrice’s discography.

1. Identity Crisis – I just love the production trick used here at the start with the muffled sound, suddenly erupting into the *full” sound. Metallica influences are obvious in this metal-ish song, particularly the main riff. Good song. Turn it up!
2. Phoenix Ignition – Don’t let the acoustic folk intro fool you. This is thrash metal of the new millennium. I love the sporadic little harmonic riffs during the verses.
3. In Your Hands – Sure, this song is still heavy like the rest of the album, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Sorry. I just don’t like this one. But I’m still going to listen to the whole thing as I type this.
4. To What End – Ahhhh. Let the controversy begin! The lyrics speak of the meaning of life, and how life is quite meaningless without a higher power to live for. By the way, the music is great, too. “To what end do we proceed so boldly if all we are is chemical reactions … if you believe that this is true then I must ask, ‘to what end do you proceed?’”
5. Ultra Blue – I’m not a big fan of the riffs in this song, but it is clear to me that the band played this song with passion. The guitars drive gloriously, and the bass has that extra spring behind the notes. My ears aren’t trained for how drums are played, so I can’t hear the passion in them so much as I do in the guitars and bass. Sorry drummers!
6. As The Ruin Falls – A darker song for Thrice, this is a very fast, hard-hitting track.
7. The Next Day – Beautiful acoustic guitar set to a rainstorm backdrop. Come to think of it, this is the first of only two instrumental tracks that Thrice has ever done.
8. A Torch To End All Torches – Enter the final act. Or so I say. This song begins the epic 4-track climax of the album. Another metal-geared song with heavy riffs and enough thrashing to please a mosh pit. I can hear more Metallica influences in the opening riff (Disposable Heroes, anyone?). Being a good song that is written to go along with the lyrics, the latter half of the song is a bit brighter after the dark first half, mirroring the lyrics of one who has just reached the end of their “darkest hour”.
9. Unquestioned Answers – The final act continues. Starting immediately after the last beat of the previous track, this song begins with a charged riff that doesn’t let down on the pace. This would be a much better song if it weren’t for all the SNARE DRUM. But that was the “in” thing back then… what can I do. Sigh.
10. Under Par – Are we going to the circus!? No, we’re entering into another awesome song. That sound at the start was just a mere diversion, meant to distract and deter those without faith in Thrice, so only those with perseverance would enjoy this most epic track.  This song is epic. So epic. Oh my, count how many “epics” that is. That’s thrice epic! Ah 2:42 – 3:40 is sooooooo good. Mmmmmmm.
11. T&C – The conclusion to this power play here in the final act. A pretty solid song all around, with good riffs and heavy choruses. The lyrics are great. The guitar solo is awesome. The cumulative multi-voice effect of the final chorus is well placed. Great ending to a great album.

Transitioning Into a New Era

I started on Extra-Auditory sometime in 2007. It was so long ago that I honestly forgot when. I finally released the album three years later a couple months ago in September.

Now that that work is out of the way and finished, I have already started and made progress on my next album. While Extra-Auditory was more rock-oriented, this upcoming album will be more orchestral in nature. I will be trying to draw upon influences from classical music whilst keeping my “sound” intact.

I would not like to give any further details on the new album at this time, but I will certainly let you know when I am near completion.

The David Crowder*Band (Rock, Experimental, Electronic, Folk, Hard Rock, Pop) – 10/10

 

This 6-man band includes: drummer; bassist/keyboardist/odd-electric-instrumentalist; singer/guitarist/pianist/keytarist (see below); electric guitarist; electric violinist/DJ; lead guitarist/keyboards

 

I’ve been to only a dozen-or-so concerts in my lifetime (hey… they’re expensive!), but three of those were to see this band here.  And I recommend going to see this band above all others.

The band’s shows are… eccentrically entertaining. Not once during one of the three concerts have I found myself getting bored. These guys really know how to put on a show.

Why are they unique?  Well, for one, how many times have you seen a band use an iPhone app in their concert? For instance, in one particular song (“Church Music – Dance!”), they use iPhones wired into their mics to change the sound of their voices. I forget the name of the app (I think it was T-Pain?), but it was pretty amusing to see them singing into iPhones.

What else… Ah, can’t forget about the Keytar!:

 

David Crowder with the mighty Keytar. Don't let the size fool you.

 

Or the time that they customized a Guitar Hero guitar to play pre-recorded sounds whenever it was strummed:

 

Guitar Hero?

 

With the band’s label of being a “praise” band, one would immediately think of a toned-down concert with simple-structured songs.

No.

This band plays as loud as any band out there (bring earplugs!). This band can rock like any band out there (don’t bring small children). This band can melt your face with unexpected guitar solos (“shred on, buddy, shred on”).

The David Crowder*Band is quite possibly one of the most unique bands in history, and their shows are no exception. If they come by your town, see them.

Taking Requests!

Hey everybody,

If anybody has a favorite independent artist that they want me to listen to and review, please do request in the comments below.

The Trees – “Things That Make You Happy”

http://thetrees.bandcamp.com/

This is my first review in ages, and quite honestly, I’m excited to review this album.

9.1 / 10.0 (for scope, production, uniqueness, and experimentation)

The Trees are an independent hard-rock band from Britain, with a very experimental sound (ranging from influences like Radiohead to Pink Floyd, one can never guess what may come next). Simon and Tony share vocal duties, swapping lead parts between songs. Both Simon and Tony also do the guitar parts, while Ben plays the bass and Tommy plays the toms (go figure).

Things That Make You Happy is the first public release by The Trees. The album is very layered, due in part to the band’s production capabilities.

1. Dirty Money – From the first beat, this is an unrelentingly high-energy song. Easily the most “pop” song on the album. Definitely a strong Beatles influence here, though much more energetic. The guitar work is raw, but I wouldn’t want it any other way for this song.
2. Stop Talking – I enjoy the introductory passage to this song with the drum build up. This song embodies more of The Trees’ style that I enjoy than the previous song. While energetic, this song has moments that allow the listener to just fall in a trance and get lost in the instrumental passages. Before going into the outro, the song concludes with a guitar solo proving that these guys aren’t afraid to shred.
3. All My Friends – Things slow down here, but that’s not a bad thing… I thoroughly enjoy this song. My second favorite on the album, and a great song to relax to (or to groove to!). Love it. Clever line: “Elegantly wasting away…”
4. Goodbye to the Love – Another relaxing song to get lost in. The piano melody completely makes this song. The Trees are apparently full of goodness. I just need to start listening to them more often.
5. Odd One Out – An atmospheric, eerie track that’s more of a soundtrack for a particular mood than a song. (I’m not in the right mood, I suppose, otherwise I’d know what that mood is.) I could imagine this as the beginning to a character drama movie.
6. Sometimes – I love the intertwining guitar melody and vocals on this song. Once again, a great song to relax to with lots of ambiance and melody. My favorite song on the album.
7. Softly Spoken – The beginning of this song is reminiscent of children’s nursery rhymes, then transitions into soft upbeat rock.
8. With Dancing Stars – Using their production skills, The Trees craft the beautiful intro to this easy-listening song. The mood of the chorus is uplifting with the use of a very simple lead guitar line. The instrumental bridge brings out more of the band’s Pink Floyd influence in the guitar section.
9. Lazy Night – I’m a big fan of the beginning, but I can’t get around the abrupt change right after. Other than the beginning, I enjoy the instrumental bridge with the sliding guitars. Probably my least favorite track on the album.
10. Devilpact Suitcase – !!!! The intro is incredible, then transitions into a heavy, dark thematic section that is completely unexpected. It’s a wonderful song, but I feel the lead vocals could have dropped an octave to better match the darker undertone… just my opinion.

Recommended Links

The Home Guard – A British indie-duo that creates some very eclectic, eccentric, and excellent music.

The Trees – A British hard rock band that experiments with a lot of different sounds.

Acuvi Music Blog – A Norwegian music blogger. She devotes a lot of time to the independent. (Yes, it is in English.)