Thrice - "Daedalus" (2008)

Thrice is easily one of the most innovative bands making music today. Their musical progression from their first album Identity Crisis to their most recent The Alchemy Index is incredible. What started as a hardcore/metal band has now evolved into a group of very talented musicians drawing from every sub genre of rock as well as blues, jazz, and acoustic folk. Aside from singer Dustin Kensrue’s distinctive voice, you’d be hard pressed to tell that Thrice are even the same band that made their first two albums. If you’re new to Thrice, here’s a short rundown of their career. The band is from Orange County, CA and started out on local label Hopeless/Sub City. After releasing two records, they signed with Island and came out with The Artist In the Ambulance. That was followed by a CD/DVD of b-sides and a documentary enitled If Only We Could See Us Now. In fall of 2005 the band released their fourth studio album Vheissu. After The Red Sky EP was released the following Spring, the band began working on what would become their fifth album. It was an ambitious idea for sure: four discs of six songs each, each of which would represent one the four basic elements of fire, water, air and earth. That’s pretty heady even for a well read band like Thrice and I figured it was going to be a hard pill for Island to swallow. Turns out it was. The band worked tirelessly to complete the album, producing and engineering it themselves. Island didn’t see it working and the band and the label parted ways. Fortunately for Thrice, Island allowed them to keep their hard work and do as they pleased with it. They were able to avoid the horror story where a label keeps a band’s unfinished record and shelves it indefinitely. Thrice fielded offers from several labels eager to be a part of the project and finally decided to release The Alchemy Index in two parts on Vagrant Records. The first portion of the album, Fire and Water were released last October. I was pleased with the results but not as blown away as I’d hoped. The album took some time to grow on me. I did not include it in my Top 10 Albums of 2007, but in retrospect I probably should have. It was at least number 11. Nevertheless I was eagerly awaiting the release of Air and Earth and last week it finally came out. Now being able to listen to The Alchemy Index in its entirety, I can say that it’s no less than a masterpiece. Thrice really show their range on Air with the soaring opener "Broken Lungs." "A Song for Milly Michaelson" (whose title is a reference to the film The Boy Who Could Fly) floats along beautifully, the music perfectly complimenting the lyrics. Earth showcases Thrice’s rootsy side, and could easily be compared to Kensrue’s 2007 solo project Please Come Home. Biblically inspired lyrics flow through “Moving Mountains” and “Come All You Weary,” the latter boasting one of guitarist Teppei Teranishi’s most memorable licks. Also of note is the excellent cover of “The Earth Isn’t Humming” originally by the band Frodus. I, like lots of fans, will now have to check out the original. The standout on the final two volumes for me has to be “Daedalus” a song that is of course inspired by the tale of Daedalus and Icarus from Greek mythology. Kensrue’s lyrics and vocals bring this ancient tale new life and the band makes it the heaviest track of this collection. In short, you should own The Alchemy Index, all four volumes. Even if you don’t think you would like some of it, trust me, there is something here for everyone. Get it.


Thrice - "Daedalus"