Thrice Band • Page 3

It's so interesting to hear people say that when it holds up as one of my all-time favorites. When I listen to it now, I have trouble comprehending that it's over 4 years old. It still sounds fresh and innovative to me.

 

I don't think it's innovative at all. I think it's just Beggars Part 2, except Beggars is great and M/M is not.

 

I too see M/m as a sequel, but I personally say that as a compliment. If Beggars is the album brimming with the excitement of exploring the unknown, M/m is the filled with the confidence of a band knowing exactly what they were doing. This allowed them to stop trying so hard to change and instead continue exploring a sound they were in love with, as well as bring back sounds and ideas from Vheissu. (It didn't hurt that M/m's sound engineer had worked on Vheissu.) This allowed Thrice to convert the music of Beggars into more mainstream structures with giant chorus hooks ("Blinded," "Promises"), bring back the heavier elements of Vheissu ("Call it in the Air," "Blur"--which also recalls "Between the End and Where We Lie" in its second verse), while inadvertently still coming up with songs unlike anything Thrice had ever done before ("Cataracts"). "Treading Paper" and "Words in the Water" work as well thematically as "Wood & Wire", and a bunch of songs have interesting lyrical ties to Beggars, too. "Yellow Belly" takes the general theme of "All the World is Mad" and narrows it down from mourning the whole human race to tackling a specific character. "The Weight" and its indictment of modern marriages is continued in "Promises." I also think "Disarmed" works as a spectacular antithesis to "Beggars," following the darkest closer in Thrice's discography with the brightest and most hopeful closer. The two albums end up as being very different beasts with different strengths. I don't remember who said this, but I'll never forget a staff member on AP.net saying "Beggars is Thrice's musical masterpiece and M/m is Thrice's lyrical masterpiece." I couldn't agree more. And while I understand why listeners would leave M/m finding it musically unspectacular (besides Riley's career-best drumming), that doesn't mean there isn't much more to love within.

 

This is where I've ended on it is as well. It's literally the only Thrice album I never go back to listen to.

 

MYSUPERLONGEXPOSITORYPARAGRAPHDOESNTCHANGEYOURMIND?!?!?!?

 

How can you say M/M is filled with confidence while Beggars and The Alchemy Index are not? And how can you that M/M "allowed them to stop trying so hard to change?" I don't think there's anything wrong with their progression. In fact, I've come to really appreciate it over time. They've gone on record before saying they wanted to do some of the stuff with Vheissu on TAITA but just didn't have the time, so I think it's safe to say they've always enjoyed branching out and doing things differently, I mean you've go The Alchemy Index to prove that to you.

You have a lot to say about M/M's lyrics which are one of the weakest parts of the album to me. Promises has always bugged me because of how incredibly similar it is to The Weight and Call It In The Air is a little lackluster for Dustin's past work (although I do enjoy that song musically). I'm not also too fond of how preachy the album can get, particularly one Listen Through Me but also on Words In The Water (which I manage to look past because I love that song musically) and Blinded (one of the weakest songs on the album). Overall, I completely disagree with whoever thinks M/M is Thrice's best lyrically.

The album just feels so one-note that I can't say I enjoy listening to it from front to back anymore. It's tiring to listen to because they went and wrote a lot of in-your-face alt rock songs, but they fail to give the album a chance to breathe when it's something they've done so well before on Beggars and Vheissu.

I was just thinking about their discography earlier today and I thought to myself "Yeah M/M has it's flaws but I still think it's good," but I honestly don't think I have the confidence to still say that. I don't think it's bad, rather just alright. I'm really looking forward to whatever comes next though because I get the feeling they're experimenting more with their sound again and that's what I've come to listen to this band for over the past couple years.

 

I love Major/Minor. There, I said it.

 

Favorite is Beggars. Then M/M. I think then Artist for nostalgia? But some days Alchemy Index is third.

Even though Thrice is a favorite band of mine, I prob like Carry the Fire more than any of their albums besides Beggars.

 

Everything is in Vheissu's shadow.

 

Beggars is their best pretty easily imo

 

Wasn't a fan of Beggars or MM but the songs have grown on me a bit through live shows and random songs in the car.

 

Been listening to Beggars again this evening, and it's as great as I ever remember, but I still don't quite get how all of you guys rate it higher than Vheissu.

Just wish "Talking Through Glass" had made it's way into the setlist rotation during this album cycle. Incredible song, probably my second favorite on the album after "The Weight."

 

Vheissu has "Atlantic" and "Music Box," both of which I know are well liked, but I don't like 'em. I bought Alchemy Index vol. 1 before Vheissu, so "Atlantic" always sounded like a weaker version of the Water EP.

 

Haha, I feel like you and I have had this conversation multiple times for some reason. I have tried so many times to listen to M/m and it always just sits there as an okay album that sounds like a band kind of not sure what to do next and in need of a break ...

... it's why I wasn't surprised that then happened.

 

I honestly think Vheissu is just a taaaad over rated in terms of what Thrice would go on to do.
I would honestly prefer every record after Vheissu (expect for Earth, I'll take Vheissu over Earth).

And I don't mean to discredit how good Vheissu is. I love that album. I just love what thrice would go on to do that much more.

 

While Beggars definitely has an argument to be made about being better, the EP collection suffers from being (intentionally) put into specific boxes. There are some downright amazing songs on those EPs but they don't flow as a cohesive whole and suffer from being forced into one part of the band's sound on each. The beauty of Thrice was always in the mixture of their sound and influences and capabilities — the EPs removed that capability — there are spattering of undeniable genius and greatness in all 4 of the EPs but none that reach the heights of the whole of Vheissu.

If I had only one album to pick from Vheissu or Beggars, I'd still pick Vheissu for the full album they put together and its highs, but it wouldn't be an easy pick.

 

Beggars is my favorite, but I think their whole discography from TAITA to Major/Minor is a close second. I enjoy them all in different ways, but Beggars, both musically and thematically, stands over all of them as the experience I go back to most often. Beggars is the only album that has made me stop to think of it could replace Brand News' The Devil and God one day as my favorite album.

 

beggars and vheissu are both tied for me. i think beggars has better songs, but vheissu is more consistent

 

Yeah we've had this conversation plenty of times. I just like to keep on trying :)

 

I look at Major/Minor as a testament to Thrice mastering their sound. It really does feel like the end of the road for them. The first time I heard the song Anthology (acoustic version was actually my wife and I's first dance song), I knew a hiatus or end of the band was imminent. A break was due for them, and much needed time for each of them to spend with their families, with their kids, to work on their lives separately. A lot of the themes of Major/Minor reflect each of them experiencing personal loss. Blur being about death, the moments during and immediately after a loved one dies. Disarmed being about the hope that death has been defeated, obviously taking root in Dustin's faith, and as a Christian myself (and youth pastor), I myself am going to be into that.

There's a sense of closure that weaves its way throughout the album, at least lyrically. I can understand where people are coming from when they say it didn't advance their sound in instrumentation, but I don't think it needed to. It was a band knowing exactly what they were doing.

 

You're a youth pastor? Dang it. I'm in youth ministry and am looking for my first youth pastor job. I thought I had dibs on being resident youth pastor, lol.

 

Beggars is, without a doubt, my favorite. I think it has an energy to it that's really unique for their discography and that no other album in it has. I think it's a combination of the production style they went with on that record as well as blending these nuanced rock songs with mellow atmospheric songs. It makes for a really fresh listen and always keeps me engaged. I think the album contains two of the best songs they've ever wrotten (Circles and Beggars) while there are some other really great songs on there two (All The World Is Mad, In Exile, Wood And Wire). Can't say there's any low point to the album either, I think it flows really well as a ten-song album.

 

My buddy is sometype of Pastor. I told him to listen to "In Exile" and he loves it.

 

The "shadowy mirror" part is based on one of my favorite Scripture passages. That song is easily my favorite by the band.

 

Same. I love how he illustrates his spiritual journey. Very vivid.