Saturday, November 28, 2015

Thrice: The Artist in the Ambulance [2003] — Album Review

Dustin Kensrue: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Teppei Teranishi: Lead Guitar
Eddie Breckenridge: Bass
Riley Breckenridge: Drums
Produced by Brian McTernan

Tracklist:
1. Cold Cash and Colder Hearts – 2:52
2. Under a Killing Moon – 2:41
3. All That's Left – 3:20
4. Silhouette – 3:06
5. Stare at the Sun – 3:23
6. Paper Tigers – 3:59
7. Hoods on Peregrine – 3:31
8. The Melting Point of Wax – 3:29
9. Blood Clots and Black Holes – 2:49
10. The Artist in the Ambulance – 3:39
11. The Abolition of Man – 2:46
12. Don't Tell and We Won't Ask – 3:59
Vinyl Bonus Track:
13. Eclipse – 3:21
Total Runtime: 39:34/42:55

First off, let me start by saying that I'm sorry I missed last week's scheduled review of The Room's Too Cold, I'll get around to it eventually. Now back to your review: Ahh... and so we come to Artist. Thrice are a post-hardcore/emo band who, unfortunately, are on hiatus—though at the current time (October 2015), they're playing shows but nothing seems to be planned after those few shows. Their last album was Major/Minor in 2012, with Anthology coming out as their last release (it's a live album). The Artist in the Ambulance is Thrice's third album, and major label debut, after departing Sub City/Hopeless following The Illusion of Safety.
Artist starts with Kensrue shouting "They are sick/They are poor" which is the memorable opening for "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts", a very well-crafted song. Next is "Under a Killing Moon", which was featured on the 2003 Warped Tour Compilation. The guitar in the beginning just sounds epic. "All That's Left" comes in with its eerie feedback, and lays down another solid tune.
"Silhouette" is the first song on the record to really showcase Kensrue's screaming capability (besides the end of "Cold Cash"), which is terrific.
"Stare at the Sun", our fifth song, has some of the most amazing-sounding guitar work I've ever heard. Riley's drum work is equally as excellent. "Stare at the Sun" bleeds into "Paper Tigers", a song where all of Kensrue's vocals are screaming. The guitars sound great, and the lyrics are perfect.
After "Paper Tigers", we have what I call the "leading up to "The Artist in the Ambulance" trilogy". Because they're the three songs right before track 10, which is my favorite. In this we have "Hoods on Peregrine", a strong effort, "The Melting Point of Wax", a cool song with some great imagery, and "Blood Clots and Black Holes", another good song.
After the trilogy, we have easily the best song on Artist, "The Artist in the Ambulance". This is honestly my favorite Thrice song. The vocals are catchy and awesome, and the guitars are freaking great.
Following our high point, is probably the low point of the album, "The Abolition of Man" isn't all that amazing of a song. It's just okay. But picking it back up for a decent closer is "Don't Tell and We Won't Ask".
On the vinyl re-release, we have bonus track "Eclipse", which is quite a decent addition to the album. (Also, it sounds like the vinyl tracks don't seem to be the same versions as the CD, as the mastering seems to be different and the way Kensrue sings on "The Artist in the Ambulance" is quite audibly different.)
The Artist in the Ambulance is a classic album, and a staple for the hardcore and post-hardcore genres. It has some flow issues, but overall it sounds great.

Cold Cash and Colder Hearts: 9/10
Under a Killing Moon: 9/10
All That's Left: 9/10
Silhouette: 7/10
Stare at the Sun: 10/10
Paper Tigers: 8/10
Hoods on Peregrine: 8/10
The Melting Point of Wax: 8/10
Blood Clots and Black Holes: 8/10
The Artist in the Ambulance: 10/10
The Abolition of Man: 6/10
Don't Tell and We Won't Ask: 8/10
Eclipse: 8/10

Subtotal: 100/120 108/130
Bonus Points:
A+ Guitar Work: +2
Total: 102/120 110/130
Score: 8.5 Excellent (8.5 Excellent)

Genres: Post-hardcore, Emo, Hardcore

Last Week's Review: The Room's Too Cold by The Early November
Next Week's Review: Through Being Cool by Saves the Day
Next Thrice Review: All That's Left [Single/7"]

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