Thrice
Major/Minor

Here we go again. Thrice are back in a big way.

We had last seen them in 2009 with the good Beggars, an album that surely pleased rock lovers. Yes, because the times of The Alchemy Index vol.1 or The Artist in The Ambulance are just a distant memory. The guitar outbursts of Teppei in tracks like Deadbolt or Phoenix Ignition have been buried by a constant evolution that has led the four from Irvine to savor more delicate and refined melodies, without ever falling into the banal.

In 2011, "Major/Minor" takes us back in time. The compactness and power, which seemed to be partly lost, peek again in the tracks of this little disc. Yellow Belly is the manifesto of all this. The production by Dave Schiffman (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, The Bronx, and a thousand others) honors a very powerful piece. A mid-tempo with influences ranging from Post-Hardcore to 90s Grunge.

Dustin Kensrue, the true added value of the Californian band, delivers a high-level performance throughout Major/Minor, but it is in songs like Call It In The Air that he shows us the emotional peaks and vocal range he can reach.

There are numerous influences noticeable in this new work. We go from the more mainstream rock of Promises, to the Post Rock of Disarmed, through more reflective moments like Words In The Water (a little masterpiece), to end with Blur, one of the only up-tempo tracks from Thrice post-Vheissu.
The clear desire to be more incisive has certainly been achieved. The path taken in Beggars has been resumed. This time, however, with more confidence and determination.

It's difficult to compare with previous works. It cannot be said that Major/Minor is better or worse than gems like Vheissu. "Major/Minor" is simply the natural continuation of a conversation started over these thirteen years of career.

What's most surprising is the renewed dynamism that perhaps was missing in Thrice's latest albums. Anthology, for example, brings to mind the guitar interplays of The Artist in The Ambulance. It is no coincidence that the lyrics refer to various past songs, from the very old Trust to the more recent The Weight.

The skill of Thrice has always been in knowing how to reinvent themselves. The fear of daring and going against market trends are the most important assets for the band that I consider one of the best of the last ten years.