Upon hearing the first few tracks that were released from Thursday's newest album No Devolucion, I have been overly excited to get my hands on it, give it a full listen, and write my review. Here's why:
Thursday has always been a favorite band of mine since their breakthrough release of Full Collapse. It was a polarizing album for any angsty teen at that time with big hopeful ideas of change and an even bigger heart and that probably still holds true for someone listening to it for their first time today. It is definitely a hardcore album in terms of the ideas and emotion it communicates but that all takes a back seat to a more experimental sound driven Geoff Rickley poetic narration/lyricism. The shape of punk to come was imminent and Thursday seemed to have control of where ever it was going more than any other band.
Like any sound that finds its way into the mainstream, record companies are suddenly quick to pick up any group of musicians that critics can lend a deaf enough ear to pigeonhole into some unspecific sub-genre that sounds just enough alike to make a quick enough buck on before the market gets saturated and milked dry before moving on to the next thing. But this 'genre', while it lasted was 'screamo', not something that Thursday would necessarily be proud to be remembered for and not necessarily certain of how that came to be. If anything, Thursday wanted to be remembered for being Thursday, not another band trying to fall in line with the trend, but a group of DIY musicians trying to leave the trend behind for a sound of their own.
Going into the studio for their junior album and the next two albums, Thursday wrote with the intention to blaze their own path and leave a practically dead genre behind. I loved these records but I felt like Thursday was just dipping their toes in the water while trying to still write something for their old fans to like. They had a direction they were trying to head with their music but they seemed to be holding back. I wasn't sure if I would ever hear a Thursday album that hits me the same way Full Collapse did where there was no other specific way to describe the genre of its sound other than "Yep, that's Thursday." This long introduction brings me to my review of No Devolucion.
The concept of a single cohesive album has become a thing of the past in the digital age of music. The majority of albums I hear these days seem like they get written by playing through one song and then playing another until enough songs are compiled to call it an album. If you get lucky enough, the album might even have some hits, but what's the real point consumers can just download the select songs they want to on itunes these days without any intention to put on some headphones and dedicate some actual time into listening to/ interpreting the album as a whole while getting immersed in its sound?
No Devolucion is exactly that. It is an album that demands your attention for its full hour of play time; there's not one specific song that you will be playing at parties or putting on on the jukebox so if that's what you're looking for, this isn't the album. The production however is where this album really shines as it creates melodies and backdrop music that all blend in to an atmospheric album that all comes together in the dramatic 7-minute-conclusion "Stay True" (arguably the best song of Thursday's library). It's a simple message but it's a perfect way to wrap up the message that Thursday has been trying to convey all along. An album like No Devolucion is something of a classic that we rarely hear these days. It may not click on first listen, and while it may not be practical for all situations, it's a true milestone in Thursday's DIY career that has been plagued by the conflicting interests of record execs and the creative concepts of these mature musicians.
Thursday has always been a favorite band of mine since their breakthrough release of Full Collapse. It was a polarizing album for any angsty teen at that time with big hopeful ideas of change and an even bigger heart and that probably still holds true for someone listening to it for their first time today. It is definitely a hardcore album in terms of the ideas and emotion it communicates but that all takes a back seat to a more experimental sound driven Geoff Rickley poetic narration/lyricism. The shape of punk to come was imminent and Thursday seemed to have control of where ever it was going more than any other band.
Like any sound that finds its way into the mainstream, record companies are suddenly quick to pick up any group of musicians that critics can lend a deaf enough ear to pigeonhole into some unspecific sub-genre that sounds just enough alike to make a quick enough buck on before the market gets saturated and milked dry before moving on to the next thing. But this 'genre', while it lasted was 'screamo', not something that Thursday would necessarily be proud to be remembered for and not necessarily certain of how that came to be. If anything, Thursday wanted to be remembered for being Thursday, not another band trying to fall in line with the trend, but a group of DIY musicians trying to leave the trend behind for a sound of their own.
Going into the studio for their junior album and the next two albums, Thursday wrote with the intention to blaze their own path and leave a practically dead genre behind. I loved these records but I felt like Thursday was just dipping their toes in the water while trying to still write something for their old fans to like. They had a direction they were trying to head with their music but they seemed to be holding back. I wasn't sure if I would ever hear a Thursday album that hits me the same way Full Collapse did where there was no other specific way to describe the genre of its sound other than "Yep, that's Thursday." This long introduction brings me to my review of No Devolucion.
The concept of a single cohesive album has become a thing of the past in the digital age of music. The majority of albums I hear these days seem like they get written by playing through one song and then playing another until enough songs are compiled to call it an album. If you get lucky enough, the album might even have some hits, but what's the real point consumers can just download the select songs they want to on itunes these days without any intention to put on some headphones and dedicate some actual time into listening to/ interpreting the album as a whole while getting immersed in its sound?
No Devolucion is exactly that. It is an album that demands your attention for its full hour of play time; there's not one specific song that you will be playing at parties or putting on on the jukebox so if that's what you're looking for, this isn't the album. The production however is where this album really shines as it creates melodies and backdrop music that all blend in to an atmospheric album that all comes together in the dramatic 7-minute-conclusion "Stay True" (arguably the best song of Thursday's library). It's a simple message but it's a perfect way to wrap up the message that Thursday has been trying to convey all along. An album like No Devolucion is something of a classic that we rarely hear these days. It may not click on first listen, and while it may not be practical for all situations, it's a true milestone in Thursday's DIY career that has been plagued by the conflicting interests of record execs and the creative concepts of these mature musicians.