Thrice
Live at the House of Blues
Vagrant Record
9/10
When the crap did I start liking Thrice? While I meant that to be rhetorical, I suppose the actual answer is during the Alchemy Index. I thought that that series showed a level of songwriting that went beyond simply writing songs to crafting them. There is a difference. You don’t just slap down your old poetry from tenth grade, have your guitarist do some riffs over it and call it a day. Tailoring music to genres and styles that you are not known for is a feat all unto itself.
Thrice cycles through a lengthy set, pulling songs from each of their albums and EPs. From the rage of the Fire, the sizzling guitars of The Artist and the Ambulance back to the aqueous reverb of Water, Thrice kills it each and every time. A great recording for a live setup, it’s like a greatest hits set that you haven’t actually heard before.
-Jonathan Yost