Thrice - Major/Minor

Thrice - Major/Minor
Genre: Rock/Post Hardcore
Rating: 8/10

Whilst many bands are slaves to fashion and trends some artists choose to stand defiant and carry on without a thought or care about how well their next album will be recieved. Thrice are one of these acts. Forming 1998 the band quickly sprung to success with their hardcore influenced take on heavy rock. The bands music back then was very guitar driven and made use of strange time signatures and over the years the band have simply been tweaking and perfecting this formula. Whilst most of the post hardcore outfits had gone to the wall by 2005 Thrice continued on in spite of trends shifting towards Emo. One of the most notable releases of their career was 2007/2008 four part set The Alchemy Index. The Alchemy Index saw the band tackle two elements at a time in a two volume set made up of four EPs an ambitious project to say the least which gave the band a very wide and open spectrum to experiment with. Having incorporated electronic beats, synths and programmed elements the band follow up 2009's album Beggars with Major/Minor.

Stylistically very little has changed since the bands last album whilst this may seem like a criticism Thrice are a band that are well atuned to their strengths and continue to perfect their formula over time so it isn't a snorefest as the album cover might suggest. The band maintain their shift away from the heavier elements from their early career as Dustin provides crystal clean yet emotive vocals throughout. Whilst many of the bands old fanbase continue to moan about the lack of heavy hardcore vocals and arrangements it would be easy to chalk this change up to the band maturing over time. The music on display is very pleasing with some beautiful melodies and moods evoked. Whilst Beggars saw the band strip down to fairly basic elements like acoustic guitars Major/Minor see's a return to the fleshed out and diverse Vheissu whilst maintaining both a sense of urgency in places and frailty in others. Particular highlights include the beautifully arranged "Words In The Water" a beautifully affecting song very reminiscent of the very digital sound of the bands Alchemy Index water EP. Other highlights include the fast paced "Blur" that see's the band take a step back to their heavy guitar led lineage without feeling like a recycled tune. Overall the whole album has a vast range of moods and material from full throttle rock to more serene ballads and is very enjoyable start to finish. Whilst the heavier elements will undoubtedly be missed the albums diversity and consistency probably make up for this making it a very strong effort leaving very little to complain about.

Overall Thrice have proved yet again that their "if it aint broke don't fix it" attitude is not a limiting factor. Whilst the record may not be as diverse as some of their more ambitious endeavors the overall finished product is rewarding and engaging. Recommended.

Download: "Yellow Belly" "Words In The Water"