Thrice – Major/Minor

From early albums tainted with flaws, forgiven through the accepting eye of reminiscence, to the ‘Alchemy Index’ discs that I still cherish for their variety and boldness, I have grown musically as well as physically whilst listening to Thrice. So it is fair to say, this album arrived at my doorstep stewed in a mixture of anticipation and fear.

‘Yellow Belly’ starts the album with a roar. Consistent with their latter releases, the guitars ooze experience and control. The rhythm section drive the song with ease, while Dustin Kensrue’s vocals are always right on the mark.  The riff scrapes off the drums and clashes with the jaw clenched vocals in a mesh of noise which marches at you, armed to the teeth. The song slows with gorgeous tremolo work and closes the door shut with a sing-along ending, before opening it back up, sticking you with one last lick.

Following the ballsy opener is ‘Promises’ which continues the themes of marriage and adultery found on the last album ‘Beggars’. The instrumentation is once again really strong. The slightly off tapped guitar clicks into motion as Dustin Kensrue croons ‘O, we promise pretty things / And we pledge with diamond rings’ before questioning if love really holds any weight nowadays. The drums snap with each hit, as this blues rock hybrid almost preaches, pleads with humanity to assess themselves. ‘Blinded’ has a similar feel, as it expands from that blues tinted form with dramatic frantically strummed tremolo parts. It’s another solid track no doubt, but it undoubtedly creates a Déjà vu feeling.

The problem with this record is that, while the tracks are consistent, they rarely reach levels I believe Thrice are capable of. The placing of the track ‘Blur’, for me, highlights the albums overall deficiencies. The torso of this record has passed by; the five songs groove by nicely enough, with some nice guitar-laden interludes, but are barely distinguishable from each other. It is almost as if the band realise this, attempting to wake up a listener (who may well have engaged cruise control) with a crash and bang track that feels out of place.

‘Words in the Water’ initially struck me as an album highlight. Less rigid than its predecessors, the opening ambience flows into a driving rhythm. The guitar tones once again are really spot on, complimenting Kensrue’s vocals and creating a dark, moody feel. Yet, just as I was prepared to label the song ‘a beauty’ the somewhat jarring chorus connected with my ear drums. It cuts the feeling that was building, that mood I was tapping into and washes over it, creating a flat wasteland. It’s a chorus straight from their older album ‘Artist in the Ambulance’, minus the angsty tuning.

Between now and the release Thrice have announced that they are going on Hiatus, a decision which perhaps, at least musically, makes sense. Maybe time will rekindle their creativity. Nostalgia though, in music particularly, is a romance that rarely dies. That said, it is impossible to not smile while hearing ‘Anthology’ play the album off; the references to previous works tactically placed in the lyrics create something of a joyous quiz, “I know that line, it’s from [insert song here]!”

Major/ Minor, although not doing anything pioneering, has a swagger to it that simply cannot be taught (not even by Cher Lloyd).