Thrice - Vheissu
Thrice's highly-anticipated 4th album, "Vhiessu", has finally arrived. Oh glorious day. I didn’t think I would make it on just soaking up the acoustic rarities and scarce b-sides that "if we could only see us now" had to offer. And I was pretty tired of the DVD, having watched it perhaps one too many times. But Vhiessu has come to stand and deliver, consecrating Thrice's promise that the wait for it would be rewarded with a beautifully mastered and artistically gallant production. The band expanded their standard technique even more than their efforts on "The Artist in the Ambulance" and explored different styles and tricks with strange instruments (music boxes, nearly-dead acoustic guitars, etc.). Also, they played around with background noise and between-track-transitions. Aside from all that gibberish and the faux-elitist descriptions, the album really freakin' rocks. It’s a kick in the ass, if I may be so bold. It's beautiful and undoubtedly an achievement for Thrice, but also it withstands the test of what I like to call "Thriceness", meaning that you can still jump around your room, punch things, and mosh with yourself on a crummy, rainy day (much like I enjoying doing to "The Illusion of Safety")... and you can still get the screaming anthems stuck in your head and scream them to yourself while you're walking down the street to freak people out. I love this album, and I’m so glad it's finally here. It’s a wonderful reward for my patience. You’ll love it, too.
- Corey Major
Matt Pond PA - Several Arrows Later
You'd think after 6 full-length albums and 3 EPs, Matthew Pond would have run out of stuff to write about, but he has come to prove otherwise. Matt Pond PA has recently released their 7th full-length album, Several Arrows Later. Though I thought it would sound a lot like the band's previous material, once again I was proven wrong. Several Arrows Later has one big difference to it: there is a lack of Cello. The band took a new direction with this release and decided not to rely on cello accompanying their soothing guitar riffs and haunting vocal lines anymore. Down a cello but up a more extensive array of keyboard instrumentation, Several Arrows Later creates a new, more upbeat appeal to the band. lyrically the album is catchier and there is an overall 'radio-friendly' tone to it. Between the slightly more audible vocals and punchier drum tracks, SAL makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'd predict a bright future for Matt Pond PA, especially after I saw that they were featured the most recent edition of Rolling Stone magazine as of the 10 new bands to watch. The album is a marvel, and though it still sounds as if Henry David Thoreau had a band, I like it that way, and I'm personally glad that Matt Pond PA didn't stray far from their sound, because honestly I don't think there's anyone who sounds quite like them. Go buy it and listen to their single "Halloween" to get in the mood for the season. Do it now. Just because. - Corey Major
Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon
This record is amazing, it's like fast cheap sex... only faster. I say that only because this record takes about 30 minutes to complete, making it complete trash (trash = Gutter); however the incredible journey that happens in this thirty minutes is completly amazing (completly amazing = Phenomenon). Therefore, this record has the perfect name: an amazing piece of trash! I say that loving the band of course! - Brian Shea