Thursday fully caught my attention in 2001 with the release of their sophomore album Full Collapse. It was an album that resonated with me, becoming an integral part of my high school sound track. The raw emotion, the inventive song structures, the cryptic lyrics and the heavy (but not too heavy) music that sounded oh so sweet blazing from my car stereo – needles to say it was an album I fell in love with.
As the years went by, Thursday provided its faithful listeners with two more full length albums along the way. Both of which were wildly uneven, and came up quite a bit short of the bar set by the terrific Full Collapse. With the band’s newest LP, Common Existence, Thursday has left the turbulent landscape of a major label to join forces with long time punk label Epitaph Records. The results are mixed, much like Thursday’s last two discs were, as the band continues to try to create something that isn’t plagued by the shadow of albums past.
The key with Common Existence is the continued growth within the band. Though my infatuation with one of their earlier albums should be quite evident from what I’ve already written, there were a number of terrific songs on both of their previous albums and maturation within the song writing has been plain to see, especially on the band’s previous album A City by the Light Divided. Common Existence is also helped by longtime producer David Fridmann, who helps channel some of the wasted screaming and hard hitting guitar work into more well rounded compositions.
Songs such as the well paced “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” and the string aided “Beyond the Visible Spectrum” are examples of why I still go back to Thursday’s music on a regular basis. Frontman Geoff Rickly’s vocals (and trademark scream) at times can become an instrument in itself, especially on the album’s true highlight, the ethereal “Time’s Arrow” which find’s the band at its creative and aesthetic best.
The album does have its share of filler, such as the painful “Friends in the Armed Forces” which is much too blunt both musically and lyrically for my liking, a shame considering that Rickly has penned some of his finest lyrics around it. The all too short “Unintended Long Term Effects,” just seems to scream filler track as well. Another hand full of songs are listenable, but just seem to stand out as somewhat shallow and out of place when positioned next to some of the album’s shining moments.
The album does get a lift by ending better than it starts. Some of the disc’s best songs, such as the subtle “Love Will Lead Us Astray” and the dynamic album closer “You Were the Cancer” are powerful both musically and lyrically, and come at the latter stages of the album. If you’re a fan of Rickly’s emotional lyrics of the past, then be prepared for a poetic wake up call. Rickly dives into the work of highly innovative literature figures on Common Existence such as Martin Amis, Roberto Bolano, and David Foster Wallace. And believe me, he’s all the better for it.
Though not as memorable as some of Thursday’s past work, Common Existence is still a good listen, and for long time fans of the band it’s another must have. Also, the more I listen to the spectacular track “Time’s Arrow,” the more I think that it is one of the band’s greatest songs. Though I still hold out hope that the band will someday make an album that will surpass the terrific Full Collapse, maybe I should just be happy with what Thursday decides to let me listen to. I could do a lot worse.
"Common Existence" is on sale February 23, 2009 from Epitaph.
