Geoff Rickley Talks With Alt Press

Really really good read. Glad he's still pushing forward with his media company

 

Geoff always gives great interviews. Goes deep into his thoughts on the industry and his psyche and whatnot. You don't see too many people dissecting things like him.

 

Would love for another United Nations album sometime in the future.

 

Evan as a huge fan of Thursday, that statement comes across pretty arrogant, haha.

This part, specifically:

"There aren’t that many great post-hardcore bands who came in the wake of Thursday doing this stuff. I think that’s why Thursday still stands up: There wasn’t a lot of great innovation in the wake of the band."

 

Yeah he sounds like a complete db lol

 

Yeah, honestly he comes across really insufferable in that quote.

 

cringe worthy

 

I get his point, even if it did come across as arrogant. I think he loves post hardcore and really was saddened/hurt that the scene went in the direction it did. Anyways, love Geoff and hope Thursday sticks around.

 

I totally agree with him 100%

 

It's a bit arrogant, but I get what he's saying. Nowadays the "post-hardcore" scene is like, Pierce the Veil lol

 

Eh he is allowed to be a little arrogant about post-hardcore, Thursday did it better than anyone else, and he is right, the bands they influenced for the most part sucked.

 

He's not wrong though.

 

Overrated band, insufferable frontman. I do love "Understanding In A Car Crash" though.

 

Wish people offered more thought in their criticism #hottakes.

 

In what way are they overrated and why is he insufferable? Because he gave an opinion?

 

I look at Thursday as one of the most important influences in my tastes, in the early 2000's they propelled me forward in my music listening habits in ways I never would have went without them. That being said, I agree completely - it's not arrogant, post-hardcore that I knew and grew up with (as defined by bands like Thursday) changed rapidly in a short period time. By 2007 bands like Pierce the Veil and A Skylit Drive were being defined as post-hardcore. I love both of those bands, but they were not Thursday. They had the type of sound that would go on to define a lot of the more "modern" post-hardcore that I think of today. They moved the definition in a different direction, in a way. That can be good or bad however you look at it, but it's not wrong.

 

I didn't want to get into a whole big thing, but I never thought Thursday were very good songwriters. They create some interesting soundscapes, but their songs don't ebb and flow naturally at all. They all sound like demos to me, and not because they're raw or disjointed (I listen to plenty of similar bands), but because they just don't sound like they're finished, the vocals especially. I can always find something to like, but there are always so many instances where I would have changed something.

As far as Geoff, he comes off intolerably arrogant here. Even if this had been Jesse Lacey, or if I'd held Thursday in a higher regard, my cringe meter would have been off the charts. I understand it's his opinion (just like everything I'm saying is mine), but that doesn't free his statement from any scrutiny (nor does it mine).

 

I get what he's saying, although he's better off considering The Used and similar bands emo-pop or something. They had a lot of the same fans as Thursday (Thursday actually probably benefited a lot from the mainstream 'post hardcore' bands) but the sound was pretty different.

That said, Story of the Year are super underrated imo. Page Avenue, I can totally see what Geoff was thinking. But the two albums after that were pretty heavy, I think they pulled off that sound better than basically anyone.
Just listened to The Black Swan a couple of times the other day and that record is phenomenal.

 

i thought the used was more influenced by glassjaw....

 

Was going to say the same thing, SOTY are so underrated and talented.

 

Yeah I thought The Constant was pretty solid

 

I love Geoff and Thursday, but this quote was hard for me to swallow, as well. I think what bothered me the most was the name-dropping. Not that I have any significantly strong feelings about The Used or Story of the Year in particular, but it just felt like an odd thing to do.

Those bands (and many others I'm assuming he could have or wanted to name) made some great music as well, that in no way impacts my view or opinion of Thursday in any way. It's also strange to presume the motive of bands like The Used and Story of the Year, unless there's some quotes out there that I'm not aware of that find them blatantly saying that their goal is to produce radio hits.

 

Daaaaaaang. Thursday wasn't THAT good, haha

 

I don't think he was saying "Thursday was the greatest thing ever". Just that he was dissapointed by the bands they inspired. I mean they did inspire The Used and Story of the Year... Good or bad they inspired a lot of bands. Acknowledging that doesn't mean he is saying they themselves were amazing (which they were, for proof listen to Waiting through War All The Time)