I'm a pretty big Thrice fan. The build up to this record, or rather string of EPs released as two separate index volumes, was quite large. My friends and I have had huge debates as to whether or not this index volume was worth all that buid up. I definitely feel that it was.
Let's start with Fire. Fire is the heavy record out of the 4 volumes, and deals with things surrounding a fire theme. It is chock full of dark, chunky riffs, drop-tuned guitars, screaming vocals and heavy-ass melodies. "Firebreather" has a riff in 11/4. Odd-time riffs are a huge part of Thrice, and I feel it's one of their best. The outro of it is quite epic, much like something off of their last record, Vheissu. "The Messenger" starts off with a strange sounding piece of drum production, and then turns into an anthemic headbanger. "Backdraft" is the most unique song on Fire, with acoustic guitar and drum verses complete with vocals that are very evil sounding and a driving chorus. "The Arsonist" is probably the strongest song on this one. It kicks your ass from the get-go, and hardly relents from then on out. The outro is absolutely amazing in both its anthemic quality and in its brutality. "Burn the Fleet" is actually quite a gorgeous heavy song. It sounds like something that definitely could've been on Vheissu as well. "The Flame Deluge" is a piece of brutality that makes you want to go out and destroy things. It's that brutal. And then it ends with a gorgeously harmonized vocal piece to set things up for Water.
Water is definitely the record I like better. It is very ambient, spacey, beautiful, moody, dark, progressive as hell, unique, and incredibly interesting. It's actually a more simplistic record, with amazing results. "Digital Sea" is a crazy mix of a keyboard riff, an overdriven drum loop, and reverby vocals. It's quite a wonderful result. "Open Water" is very quiet and ambient in its verses, with a gorgeously lush chorus that is epic as hell. "Lost Continent" is beautifully simplistic and super epic. "Night Diving" is an instrumental, and it is the best thing on here. It is beautiful, heavy, dark, moody, and ambient all at once. I never want it to end when I hear it. "The Whaler" has another beautiful Rhodes keyboard riff. This song is almost hypnotic in its ambiance. I love it. It's absolutely wonderful. It actually almost sounds like the water levels in Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64. It ends with the most beautifully layered harmonized vocal part ever. "Kings Upon the Main" is quiet with a pushing, marching sort of feel to it, with a piano that sounds like it's on it's last legs. It then ends with a slow to fade tag line much like at the end of Fire.
Overall, I think it's a strong result from Thrice. I anxiously await the next index with Air and Earth. I give it a 9 out of 10.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Silverchair- Young Modern
I became a Silverchair fan when I heard "Tomorrow" and "Pure Massacre" off of their first record, Frogstomp, which they wrote and recorded when they were just 15 year-old kids. Twelve years later, they are still pumping out material, and it could not be more different from the heavy stuff that got them lumped in with grunge in the mid-90s. Young Modern is one of the most unique records I've ever heard. It is both retro and, well, modern. It has some country songs, some songs that sound straight out of the '60s, and one very progressive three-part song.
Let me first talk about that progressive three-part opus, "Those Thieving Birds (Part 1)-Strange Behaviour-Those Thieving Birds (Part 2)." The "Thieving Birds" sections are soaked with reverb and strings. Daniel Johns's vocals are gorgeously layered. It sounds almost like their version of the Moody Blues's "Knights in White Satin." And then there's the part that links them together, "Strange Behaviour." This song is very dancey, and makes you want to start tapping your foot and clapping your hands in time with the snare drum. It at times can sound like a 1960s musical, and then like a very poppy 1970s radio hit. The whole song actually sounds like it should be performed by a Broadway cast. It's a very awesome experience.
The rest of the album doesn't fall short. It is a strange mix of retro and modern sounds that create probably the most unique album of the year. There really isn't a bad song on this record. Some highlights: "Young Modern Station" almost sounds like Radiohead with a dance vibe. "Straight Lines" is a gorgeously constructed piece of pop. "If You Keep Losing Sleep" sounds like a slightly evil version of the Beatles, with a very Ringo-esque drum part. "Reflections of a Sound" is almost folky, very spacey, and even sounds a bit like Tom Petty in the verses. "Waiting All Day" is one of the country songs, and it has some creamy layered background vocals, along with a very gorgeous reverby chorus that has a bit of twang thrown in for good measure. "Mind Reader" is a very dirty, gritty sounding pop song that is probably the heaviest song on the record (though it isn't very heavy at all, and there's nothing wrong with that) with a great sing-songy chorus. "Low" is the other country-style song, and it has a very sad-sounding verse, but a very perky, wonderful chorus. "All Across the World" ends the record on a very spacey, slowed-down retro rock vibe. It's quite excellent.
Basically, this record kicks ass. It is incredibly interesting and delightfully eccentric. I would definitely recommend this, for it has something for nearly everyone. 10 out of 10 for sure.
Let me first talk about that progressive three-part opus, "Those Thieving Birds (Part 1)-Strange Behaviour-Those Thieving Birds (Part 2)." The "Thieving Birds" sections are soaked with reverb and strings. Daniel Johns's vocals are gorgeously layered. It sounds almost like their version of the Moody Blues's "Knights in White Satin." And then there's the part that links them together, "Strange Behaviour." This song is very dancey, and makes you want to start tapping your foot and clapping your hands in time with the snare drum. It at times can sound like a 1960s musical, and then like a very poppy 1970s radio hit. The whole song actually sounds like it should be performed by a Broadway cast. It's a very awesome experience.
The rest of the album doesn't fall short. It is a strange mix of retro and modern sounds that create probably the most unique album of the year. There really isn't a bad song on this record. Some highlights: "Young Modern Station" almost sounds like Radiohead with a dance vibe. "Straight Lines" is a gorgeously constructed piece of pop. "If You Keep Losing Sleep" sounds like a slightly evil version of the Beatles, with a very Ringo-esque drum part. "Reflections of a Sound" is almost folky, very spacey, and even sounds a bit like Tom Petty in the verses. "Waiting All Day" is one of the country songs, and it has some creamy layered background vocals, along with a very gorgeous reverby chorus that has a bit of twang thrown in for good measure. "Mind Reader" is a very dirty, gritty sounding pop song that is probably the heaviest song on the record (though it isn't very heavy at all, and there's nothing wrong with that) with a great sing-songy chorus. "Low" is the other country-style song, and it has a very sad-sounding verse, but a very perky, wonderful chorus. "All Across the World" ends the record on a very spacey, slowed-down retro rock vibe. It's quite excellent.
Basically, this record kicks ass. It is incredibly interesting and delightfully eccentric. I would definitely recommend this, for it has something for nearly everyone. 10 out of 10 for sure.
Strata-Presents the End of the World
Let me first start out by saying that I wasn't a Strata fan until I began to hear tracks from this record. I had always kind of written them off before as a band that was trying to ride on Dredg's coattails, since they're friends and all, and that they couldn't write good songs. However, this record absolutely changed my mind.
This entire album is amazing, and sounds gorgeous. It is laced with lush amounts of echoey, reverb-soaked guitars and vocals, and the bass and drums sound impeccable. Eric Vitorino's vocals are incredible. I am in awe of how high the man's voice can get. He actually does sound like a female on a few of the songs, like "Daylight in the City" for example. The songwriting is very strong. Each song has its own unique feel, as an album should. The standout songs are "Cocaine (We're All Going to Hell)," "Coma Therapy," "Night Falls (The Weight of it All)," and "Stay Young." "Cocaine" is a very dancey song that has an excellent chorus. "Coma Therapy" is very spacey and ambient. "Night Falls" is actually fairly heavy, and has one of the best choruses on the record. "Stay Young" is just the best song on the record. It is all of these elements listed above combined. It is just a powerful piece of songwriting. You almost can't help but nod your head to it's rising 3/4 riff, and when it gets heavy in the middle, the effect is perfect.
A couple of downfalls: 8 out of the 12 songs start with some sort of guitar intro, usually picking one note with a ton of reverb and echo on it. Usually a nice touch, but they could have thought of more unique and imaginative ways to begin songs. The two instrumentals, "The Brothers" and "Natoma Alley" are strange, and almost don't fit on the record with their hip-hop-esque drums and loops. Just a bit distracting from the rest of the album. The final track "Daylight in the City" is actually pretty weak. It's a slow piano ballad that just doesn't really go anywhere, and seems to be a spotlight for Victorino's voice.
Overall, Presents the End of the World is a very strong record. It is both powerful and soft, heavy and light, and definitely worth checking out. I'd give it an 8 out of 10.
This entire album is amazing, and sounds gorgeous. It is laced with lush amounts of echoey, reverb-soaked guitars and vocals, and the bass and drums sound impeccable. Eric Vitorino's vocals are incredible. I am in awe of how high the man's voice can get. He actually does sound like a female on a few of the songs, like "Daylight in the City" for example. The songwriting is very strong. Each song has its own unique feel, as an album should. The standout songs are "Cocaine (We're All Going to Hell)," "Coma Therapy," "Night Falls (The Weight of it All)," and "Stay Young." "Cocaine" is a very dancey song that has an excellent chorus. "Coma Therapy" is very spacey and ambient. "Night Falls" is actually fairly heavy, and has one of the best choruses on the record. "Stay Young" is just the best song on the record. It is all of these elements listed above combined. It is just a powerful piece of songwriting. You almost can't help but nod your head to it's rising 3/4 riff, and when it gets heavy in the middle, the effect is perfect.
A couple of downfalls: 8 out of the 12 songs start with some sort of guitar intro, usually picking one note with a ton of reverb and echo on it. Usually a nice touch, but they could have thought of more unique and imaginative ways to begin songs. The two instrumentals, "The Brothers" and "Natoma Alley" are strange, and almost don't fit on the record with their hip-hop-esque drums and loops. Just a bit distracting from the rest of the album. The final track "Daylight in the City" is actually pretty weak. It's a slow piano ballad that just doesn't really go anywhere, and seems to be a spotlight for Victorino's voice.
Overall, Presents the End of the World is a very strong record. It is both powerful and soft, heavy and light, and definitely worth checking out. I'd give it an 8 out of 10.
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