Thrice's Latest Does Not Dissapoint

The wait is over, the reviews are in, and I think it is now safe to say that Thrice have exceeded all expectations with The Alchemy Index. Containing hands down their best work to date, The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Water & Fire is a refreshing ray of hope in a day and age when few bands have the wherewithal to write and record as adventurous and self-indulgent a record as this. I see now why Atlantic Records wasn’t interested in this monumental effort - there are no singles here, there are no hooks to sing-a-long to (no “It looks deep enough from here / I’m diving…”), nothing for a profit-driven major label to get a dollar-derived hard-on over.



The Fire EP seems to be influenced by a lot of post-hardcore, a lot of Deftones and Quicksand, and artsier stuff from the Hydra Head camp, (Cave In, et al.) Thrice seem to have abandoned the up-tempo, dare I say “punk,” song structure long ago and Fire essentially continues the songwriting trend first hinted at on the controversial Vheissu. Alternative Press called this “post-post-hardcore” and I couldn’t agree more.

“Firebreather” is politically charged and angsty, with the aggression carrying over into “The Messenger.” This could very well be the most aggressive song in Thrice’s catalog. Drum machine driven breakdowns do little to relieve the tension that revolves around Kensrue’s signature growl.

The angular and lyrical guitar work on “The Arsonist” brings to mind Around the Fur. “Burn the Fleet” is mid-tempo post-rock (a la Pelican) but doesn’t seem to showcase the band really stretching out, which is what all the hype surrounding this record has been about. And “The Flame Deluge” is simply epic as fuck.

Overall Fire is interesting, but in the end it is Thrice - we know they can write songs like this so nothing should come as a surprise.

Continuing - if not for the fact that we, well, know this is Thrice, it’d be easy to mistake the Water EP for another band altogether - another Dustin Kensrue solo effort perhaps? One can only assume, however, that since this collection of songs does in fact carry the “Thrice” heading, the other members of Thrice must have contributed to writing these aqueous transmissions in some way. Regardless of how much the remaining members of Thrice participated in the penning of these songs, Water (and no doubt all of The Alchemy Index) is unequivocal proof that Kensrue is coming into his own as a songwriter.

“Digital Sea” is an amalgamation of all things indietronica and hip, sprinkled with Radiohead pretensions and The Postal Service pomp. “Open Water” is as epic and grandiose as the name would imply – imagine floating in a life raft, starring up at a cloudless sky, gently drifting towards the “Lost Continent.” Here a melancholy Kensrue sits solemnly in front of a piano and asks, “Do we really want to know what’s going down?” So profound - clearly Kensrue saves his best lyricism for those solo records.

“Night Diving” clocks in at just over 6 minutes and is completely instrumental. Listening to Illusion of Safety in 2002, I don’t think anyone would have guessed that the same band would write a song like “Diving” some 5 years later, but they have. With its glitchy drums and mumbled vocals, “The Whaler” almost directly references Kid A (doesn’t bite, mimic, or outright emulate… merely “references.”)

In today’s downloadable marketplace, it may have been the smartest decision, economically speaking, for Vagrant Records to release this as two separate LPs. But I can’t help but remember picking up The Smashing Pumpkins' Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness way back when and being blown away by the sheer breadth, range, and diversity of the music contained on this seminal recording. Do Thrice and/or Vagrant not trust kids enough to take The Alchemy Index all in at once?

Either way, the first installment of Thrice’s highly anticipated The Alchemy Index is a monumental achievement.