Feb 24 2009
Thursday - Common Existence
Newly signed to Epitaph Records, Common Existence is the fifth full length album from the New-Jersey band Thursday.
Dave Fridmann (Weezer, The Flaming Lips, MGMT , etc.) did a great job producing this album.
Nothing sounds too shiny or overproduced, and the performances capture the live energy of the band. Each musician plays well and seems to be pushing themselves to the limit.
The first track, Resuscitation Of A Dead Man, was released early on the bands myspace page (myspace.com/thursday ). I can understand why they chose this song to introduce people to the album - it’s high energy, has a memorable chorus, and perfectly establishes the mood of the album.
Friends In The Armed Forces is a song about conflicting opinions with friends of the band who are serving in Iraq. The subject matter is interesting although the song didn’t blow me away. Your friends are fighting a war you don’t believe in…so why not write a song about it?
As He Climbed The Dark Mountain is a song that’s complex at parts and has a dark tone that fits in well with the rest of the album. The ending has a great drum sound overlaid by a simple guitar solo, which concludes an awesome three minutes of music. Other notable songs are: Beyond The Visible Spectrum, Unintended Long Term Effects, and Love Has Led Us Astray.
Overall I was fairly impressed by this album. The songs are passionately composed, the performances are excellent, and the recordings are accurately engineered. If you’re in need of a screamo/post-hardcore fix, go listen to Common Existence - it’s much better than Thursday’s previous work.
Sincerely,
BW.
