Makeup For The Silence

#9 - THRICE - MAJOR/MINOR [spotify]

(feat. track - “Yellow Belly” [spotify])

Over the course of their career, Thrice’s sound has been ever-shifting; they’ve meandered from spry pop-punk to raging post-hardcore to ethereal post-rock in a way that’s always felt natural and organic unforced, content to let the muse lead them where she may.  So there’s really no move the band could have made that should have been surprising. 

And yet, Thrice managed to do the one thing that would still catch me totally off-guard this time around: make a straight-ahead rock n roll album.  Major/Minor is (seemingly) the most commerically viable music the band has released since their popular heyday, if not ever.  (I’m not sure if the band themselves recognized this, or if they even care).  Tracks like “Yellow Belly” and “Cataracts” and, particularly, “Anthology” seem tailor made for rock radio, if such a thing exists anymore.  Concise, straightforward, relentlessly powerful but incredibly tuneful, with earworm-y hooks, it’s kind of crazy to think that Thrice’s eight album might be their best, and yet, here we are. 

I’ve always been drawn to music that doesn’t shy away from asking the big metaphysical questions and isn’t afraid to play to the rafters, and I’ve long since learned to accept the I-think-I’m-the-savior downsides that usually come hand in hand. (Live, again.  At some point they’ll get a post, or series of posts, of their own.)  That Thrice lyricist Dustin Kensrue consistently manages to do so without drowning in his own bullshit is a marvel of anti-egotism that might be unparalleled.

(For that matter, I’m not sure I can think of any band as successful as Thrice who come with so little rockstar-bullshit attached. Maybe Thursday. Though, if Thursday had a slightly higher peak, Thrice has clearly had the stronger tail; if anything, it feels like Thrice’s fanbase actually grew over the last few years despite a lower profile.)

And yet it would all be in danger of collapsing under its own weight if it wasn’t for the strength of the songcraft.  There are no parts that feel forced here, no breakdowns or solos shoehorned in where they don’t belong (or much of anywhere for that matter). Conversely, it’s all a little more manicured and meticulous than the four-guys-in-a-room groove of 2009’s Beggars. Major/Minor sits right at that elusive point where craftsmanship and feel balance precisely.

Like the aformentioned Thursday, Thrice announced an impending hiatus following one last tour.  Unlike Thursday, I suspect we’ll be seeing Thrice again in the not-too-distant future, whether it’s one-off performances and week-long runs up and down a coast or long-distance recording.  In the meantime, if this is the end, it’s kind of awesome to see them go out at the top of their game.

[As an aside to all this, Thrice’s drummer Riley Breckenridge is not just an exceedingly pleasant guy, he’s also quite the writer. In addition to his contributions at PropertyOfZack (where you can often find me as well), he has a regular column in the OC Register, writes from time to time at FlipCollective (alongside the estimable Paul Shirley, who’s ultimately to blame for my finding Riley online in the first place), talks baseball at Productive Outs, and keeps a personal blog, Hermitology.  Or if that’s too much to remember, just follow him on twitter.  He’s honestly one of the best things going on the internet, even if you’re not into music.* And if you’re lucky, he’ll let you beat him up in the fantasy sport of your choosing.]

*Though if you’re not into music, I can’t fathom why you’d be reading this blog