| Thrice: The Alchemy Index Vol. 1 & 2 |
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| Posted by Mark Fisher |
04:00 PM Tuesday, 27 November 2007 |
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 It seems like just yesterday that Thrice were on the fast track to being a million selling rock band. They were on a major label, sounding great, and had been picked for some top-notch larger venue tours, all the while selling out smaller headlining shows nearly everywhere. Somewhere in the midst of it all though the band switched gears, opting for the road less traveled. The band's insistence on creating something unique continues with the first two installments in a four EP set entitled The Alchemy Index. The EP's contained in this package are Fire and Water and are expected to be the heaviest and most lucid discs respectively in the set.
The band's goal here was to separate their sound and create songs for each part. As everyone probably saw coming, Island Records passed on the project, landing the band on popular indie label Vagrant Records. While it's not so indie cool to say this, I think if I were at Island I would have passed as well. This is a pretty big risk and after hearing the first installment, Thrice fans will go crazy over this but I doubt it's going to win them hoards of new fans. Fire kicks off the set. Although this is heavier than Water, it's nowhere near as friendly as the band's early work. The sound crunches and clunks along with a decent amount of energy, slowed somewhat by the emo vocals. It sort of reminds me of a cross between post-Sixteen Stone Bush and Quicksand with a dash of Chevelle. The desperate sound of "Firebreather" and the semi-sinister sound of "Backdraft" highlight this short set. It's hard to find something to latch onto here. There simply isn't much hook.Water is the better of the two EP's for the obvious fact that it is not rock oriented. I enjoy heavy music a lot but there is a different set of expectations with mellower music and Thrice seem much more comfortable with them. "Digital Sea" opens the set in an understated way that reminds me a lot of the first time I heard Radiohead's Kid A. It takes a minute to sink in and before long you realize how insanely great it is. The quieter, more intimate sound here fits the band like a glove, it doesn't sound forced like much of Fire does. "The Whaler" is another notable track, with its gentle organ and rapid firing drum machine. It has a very Pink Floyd vibe, forcing you to either pay attention or miss the point entirely. It's a beautiful song and leads fearlessly into the epic "Kings Upon the Main" that closes out this installment of The Alchemy Index. I totally respect what Thrice is trying to do here. Few bands have ever done something unique that actually stuck but if you look at the bands that have (let's start with Queen, Pink Floyd, and Neurosis) even fewer of them have succeeded without giving the fans a reason to keep coming back. I think Fire does some damage here right off the bat but Water does a solid job of recovering. The real question I keep coming back to here is whether or not the band can make two spectacular EP's to balance these hit and miss ones. So far The Alchemy Index comes off as a self-indulgent work so here's hoping for a better set next time out. Die-hard fans of experimental indie rock and Thrice will probably dig this but if you don't fit one of those two categories, proceed with caution. |
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