Review Summary: Thrice borrow from their past to make a satisfying, if not groundbreaking, new album.
When a band comes back after a hiatus to make a new album, the emotions associated with the anticipation of the album are naturally amplified. With some time off to each band member to branch out, gain perspective, and evolve as a person and a musician, a hiatus provides an opportunity for a band to come together afterward to truly refresh its sound with different influences and messages. For a band like Thrice, who have maintained a consistently impressive discography with an ever-evolving set of genres and influences, (my) post-hiatus expectations were nothing short of lofty. Precious months of my life were spent trying to tease out the post-hiatus direction: Were they going to continue exploring alt-rock sensibilities a la "Words in the Water" or "Anthology"? Would this be a "back to basics" album hearkening back to the Vhiessu days? Would the band's direction be carried by Dustin's foray into country/folk/blues/gospel tunes? Why can't my voice sound anywhere near as raspy and manly as Dustin's? Regardless of the answer to these vital questions, one thing was never in doubt: these 4 guys were gonna release a good album; Thrice can simply rest on their laurels and release an album which kicks serious ass. But, would it be simply good, or would it also be something new, fresh, and exciting?
The first hint at an answer came in March, with the release of Blood in the Sand. An anthemic track with a rollicking bassline and dissonant guitars, this track screams "We're back, and don't worry y'all, we're still heavy!" I'll confess that the track got me nervous: it's a solid, classically-Thrice song, but the heavy-handed political lyrics, cookie-cutter song structure, and arena-rock chorus all seemed to point to a band which is a little bit too, well, comfortable. In other words, Thrice could've made this song in their sleep, and an album composed of tracks like this would be a resounding disappointment after waiting 5 years for new material.
Come (what) May, and the release of the new album. Album opener "Hurricane" did quite a bit to soften, if not quell, some concern surrounding the album. The low-tempo acoustic intro and verse, both layered with some haunting electronics, build a sense of dread that builds toward an unrelenting chorus that hits like a sledgehammer. This may be one of the best choruses that Thrice have released in their career: the push-pull rhythm, Riley's thunderous drums, Teppei's sharp guitar maneuvering, and Dustin's impassioned vocals all coalesce to immerse the listener in the storm that gives the song its name. That said, as great as the song is, there was a feeling that we'd heard this somewhere, like something thrown together from some good bits of the Water and Fire EP's in the Alchemy Index.
As the album goes on, there is a pervading sense that these guys have put together a set of songs built on ideas which they've executed more effectively in the past. "Death from Above" sounds like it was put together from pieces of "Broken Lungs" and "Backdraft" from the Alchemy Index days. "Stay with Me" could've been lifted straight from any of the last three tracks of Major/Minor. Most notably, album standout "Salt and Shadow," with its beautiful textures and vocal harmonies, sometimes just feels like a re-interpretation of the exemplary "Silver Wings." Look: if you're gonna rip off of somebody, you could do a lot worse than Thrice's past discography. There's just the inescapable feeling that, by doing this, Thrice are holding themselves back; they could be exploring new ground and continuing the tradition of experimentation which has given them such longevity over nearly the last 2 decades.
Despite that, there are some fresh elements which keep the album from sounding like a simple rehash of past material. The aforementioned dynamics on "Hurricane" provide something fresh and unexpected. Tribal-sounding drumming on "The Window" gets the song into a nice rhythm which carries through different time signatures both in the chorus and into the hard-hitting outro. Thrice have never before echoed Radiohead (specifically "There There") to this extent, but it fits the band perfectly. This track, along with the prominence of bass on "Blood in the Sand" and "Wake Up," reveal Thrice's impeccable sense of groove. 1-minute instrumental "Seneca," with Riley apparently taking the lead on guitar, is layered and haunting, and provides a great lead-in to standout single "Black Honey." Another groove-led track, the song builds on a basic musical/lyrical concept, kept fresh by some great guitar work from Teppei and exceptional vocal delivery from Dustin. Seriously, the delivery on the repeated breakdown of "This time, I'll get it right" is pained and perfect. Unfortunately, he's let down by his own lyrics on this one, as on several others.
Normally I don't spend too much time on lyrics, but I felt particularly let down by Dustin's effort on this album. I was hoping that, particularly after a hiatus, the band would explore more reflective, introspective themes. Instead, the lyrics continue in the sense of "We've done this before, but better." While never a resounding strength, Thrice can capably pull off politically-themed tunes (see "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts," "Doublespeak"). On TBEITBN, however, the political lyrics fall embarrassingly flat. "Blood in the Sand" and "Whistleblower" deliver faux-revolutionary lyrics written with the sophistication of 90's Billie Joe Armstrong. Take this passage: "You told me keep it quiet, I'd ruin everything. I'd rather start a riot than have you pull these strings." "Whistleblower," told from the perspective of Edward Snowden, eschews any sense of moral/ethical nuance in favor of an adolescent temper tantrum. "Death from Above" teases at an intriguing theme with the dehumanization resulting from remote warfare, but it's delivered with the subtlety of, forgive me, a drone bombing. "Black Honey" exhausts its only lyrical idea in the first line, and fails to expand on it in any meaningful way. This is made worse by the cringe-worthy music video which, by having each of its characters lip-sync to the lyrics, only serves to highlight the lyrics' impotence as the song progresses. There are some other examples of sub-par lyricism on "The Long Defeat" and "Wake Up," but ultimately I feel that any complaint about lyrics shouldn't merit too much consideration when examining the overall quality of a record; this mainly serves to illustrate Thrice's hesitance to break new ground on this effort.
I think the best way to shed light on the pros and cons of this album would come from a quote from Eric Palmquist, the new producer of the album, taken from an in-studio video titled "Thrice #TBEITBN In-Studio 'An External Influence'" (it's on YouTube). Referring to the guiding philosophy of crafting TBEITBN:
"They're a band that's done a lot of different things, so we talked about kinda trying to take those things and highlight the extremes and to celebrate the different kinds of sounds they've had in their career. I think being a band that's got a good repertoire under their belt, they can really flex their muscles and do a broader range and still hold their identity."
So, rather ironically, a video titled "An External Influence" shows Thrice and their new producer focused on drawing on themselves as influences. Musically and lyrically, much of the album shows this, perhaps at the expense of some of Thrice's more experimental tendencies. Though the album is filled with the solid riffs, dynamics, and instrumentality characteristic of any Thrice record, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere is ultimately a disappointment from a band which has historically drawn considerable appeal from its willingness to push the envelope and surprise listeners.
*Standout Tracks:*
Hurricane
The Window
Black Honey
Death from Above
Salt and Shadow
