Thrice - Palms (September 14, 2018) Album • Page 106

Man all these comments about the back half being better and the first 2 tracks were fire. The back half is gonna be phenomenal apparently.

 

OMG "Just Breathe" dudes this is 4 out of 4 for me so far.

 

There was a review from "AltDialogue" that said "Blood on Blood" was the weakest track. I'd hate to have that byline.

 

It's a perfect song.

 

Ed wrecked shop (and bridges) on this record. They went out of their way to make up for his disappearing act on TBE.

 

My song-by-song impressions during my first run through Palms...

• Only Us: I needed to take a shower because Ed's bass was so filthy. Loved how jammier/heavier the song got towards the last half/third. The streak of Thrice albums opening with a bang continues. Damn good track.
• The Grey: Love the transition from Only Us to The Grey. Part of me still feels this song suffers a bit from being a bit generic (like Black Honey or Blood On The Sand), but it's catchy as hell and the production is great.
• The Dark: Ah... I liked the song fine enough, but it felt like it ended a bit too soon/abruptly for my tastes. Left the song half-hoping for a build-up into a grand outro after the choir part.
• Just Breathe: Started nodding my head as soon as I heard the rifftastic intro and then Ed's bass kicked in. This song is a real earworm... something about the groovy instrumentation and TAI/Air-esque vocals. Would venture to say I like this song more than most of TBEITBN.
• Everything Belongs: Immediate feel is that this feels like something out of Dustin's solo catalog/work. This is definitely not a "Thrice-y" song by any convention. It's a gorgeous track and I love how the song builds and builds towards its climax. It almost feels like a... happier/brighter(?) cousin of For Miles?
• My Soul: Apropos that I hear/sense some church-y organs in the background. I'm getting some 'In Exile' vibes here. I love how bare the song is... it lets me appreciate each guitar lick, drum fill, etc. Love how sober and hopeful (in a way) the song makes me feel. Only complain is that I feel like it ends too soon.
• A Branch In The River: Ah, a banger! Big fan of the production here with Teppei's riff coming in loud and clear. Think this will be a big crowd-pleaser at concerts. That outro/breakdown... holy hell.
• Hold Up A Light: So... I feel like this is to Palms what "Stay with Me" was to TBEITBN (ducks to hide from the pitchforks). This is not a good thing. I could easily see either song being a Nickelback song. Some redeeming moments (Dustin's vocals and Ed's bass work), but yeah, the first real clunker on Palms.
• Blood On Blood: The diversity of instrument on here... wow. This is definitely the one Radiohead-esque song on the album. The change of pace/feel from the verses to the chorus... just an attention grabber from start to finish.
• Beyond The Pines: Gonna need the liner notes to read and chew on the lyrics. A very... incisive/soulful song. I mentioned earlier that the band has a knack for picking the right songs to open albums. I think they have that same knack for choosing/crafting great album closers as well.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

• I thought TBEITBN suffered a tiny bit from feeling a little monotone/generic at times. Palms really feels like a return to the groovy vibes of Beggars sprinkled with some lighter aspects of Water/Air from TAI.
• Really dug the production here. Dustin's vocals were on point, and I really appreciated Teppei's riffs and Ed's bass coming through loud and clear. I was paying attention to a million things so Riley's drumming escaped my radar during my first listen, but I'll have plenty more chances to hone in on that.
• I only thought there was one clunker (Hold Up A Light), and even it had some nice moments.
• Album-wide, I only have one general critique, which is the album feels a little short. Feels sort of silly to say that about an album that clocks in at 40 minutes, but I really wish numerous songs had more space to breathe/expand/etc.
• Favorite Songs: Only Us, Blood On Blood

 

"My Soul" is the post-hiatus era "Atlantic".

 

It's too bad Friday Night Lights isn't on the air still; "Everything Belongs" would've been a great needle drop.

 

This thread is best when we all have music to discuss haha

 

I can't wait to get punched in the face during "Branch."

 

This album for me is everything I wanted from this band since Beggars to be honest, Major/minor was pretty good, but I feel like they lost something with TBEITBN, a lot of it was samey and lacked the variety that I usually feel from a Thrice album. This to me hits so many high notes, the only song that I am not in love with is "Hold up a Light", but I'm not saying the song is bad by any means.

The songs that are absolutely amazing and my favorites at the moment:

"Just Breathe"
"Blood on Blood"
"Beyond the Pines"

Can't wait to dive into this again tomorrow.

 

"Just Breathe"
"A Branch in the River"
"Blood on Blood"
"Beyond the Pines"

... already among my favorite Thrice songs.

 

Maybe I'm giving the band too much credit, but they've always been great with picking the right songs to open and close albums

 

Man part of me wretches involuntarily whenever someone compares a thrice song to nickleback.

 

This has me really excited.

 

Branch in the River is absolutely filthy, I love it

 

Hm. Glad I looked at Chorus before I went back to bed from my nightly bathroom visit.

 

She has a new album out on Friday and it’s fantastic. Everyone in this thread better check it out.

 

Me 15 mins ago: I can wait till Friday
Me after reading this thread and dropping everything to listen to this: I think the end of Just Breathe may be the best thing ever

 

All I can think about is spinning this again. I only had time to listen through once, and it was choppy, waiting for stuff to buffer and then several second pauses between songs.

Now I've got the file format squared away and organized.

 

This album is so incredible... I already love it more than TBEITBN after a couple listens, and I really enjoyed that album.

 

The ending of Just Breathe is beautiful!

 

Really impressed with this after one listen. I can definitely hear the Beggars comparison, first impression is sort of that mixed with TBEITBN with some other elements thrown in. I can also see why they resurrected Red Telephone leading up to this.

I really love how they continue to push without totally reinventing themselves. They take elements of their sound, combine them in different ways, add some new wrinkles, and it always works for me.

I could nitpick a few things here and there, but no big concerns or weak spots.

 

I’ve only ever listened to one Thrice album but knowing a bit about Dustin’s spiritual journey in the last few years and seeing a title like “Everything Belongs” (which is surely a reference to the Richard Rohr book) makes me want to buy this one!

Chorus should always be a part of this ritual.

 

On first listen, I love it.