Review Summary: "Our weakness makes us strong."
'Palms' is unarguably the most diverse collection of songs Thrice has put out in the last decade.
It's not flawless, but it's also not content to stay in one sound. 2016's 'To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere' is a consistent rock record, however its vibe is largely homogeneous aside from the final track and a very brief instrumental in its mid section. 'Palms' is quite the inverse. While its sound is difficult to pinpoint, it can generally be described as the groove of their 2009 effort 'Beggars' meets the atmospheres of 'Air' and 'Water' (2007 and 2008), with a few curve-balls thrown in. Like the aforementioned 'Alchemy Index', 'Palms' is also a concept record of sorts. The majority of the songs mention hands in some way and explore the different things that fists, fingers, and palms can represent. Worth noting is that the first track starts with a closed fist and the last ends with an open palm.
I will be transparent with the way I approach this review: while I will attempt to discuss the instrumentation in each song, other reviewers will be more educated on the nuances of sonic variation and will be more capable of accurately describing them. I'm a sucker for lyrics and I make my living by the written word, so I will emphasize each song's lyrical content. I will also list two lines from each track. The first will be the one that I consider to be its most well written, and the second will be what I feel best summarizes its message.
Let's get into the songs.
Only Us -
This opens with a pulsing synthesizer in the vein of Stranger Things. A different sort of vibe for Thrice, but one that suits Dustin's voice well. The lyrics talk of unity in a way that I think few will take issue with. The bridge toward the end of this song is one of the heavier, most 'Earth Will Shake' moments on the record. A great opener and one of the strongest songs on the album.
Best: "I strain with your ear to make out the words your mother sung."
Summary: "There is no them, there is only us."
The Grey -
If you have been listening to Thrice in the past 8 or so years, nothing on this track will surprise you. It's a solid tune that is perhaps a bit predictable, but showcases some of the best lyrics on the record.
Best: "There was a time I tried to hold the ocean in my fists."
Summary: "I've had enough of black and white. I'm learning to lean into the grey."
The Dark -
This song continues the vibe that Only Us introduced. It should be a crime, how perfect and thunderous Riley's drums sound here. The atmosphere is truly intoxicating, and the inclusion of a one thousand voice fan choir at the end is unequivocally awe inspiring. However, the lyrics on this one border on the cliche. Worse though, I find the message of this song contrary to the rest of the record. Its theme is one of rising up against oppressors. While this is definitely a good message, it is the complete opposite of the majority of the songs here, which are about unity: the concept that we are all one, I am you and you are me, etc (see Only Us, The Grey, Blood on Blood, Everything Belongs, and Beyond the Pines).
Best: "You try to keep me from the light, but I know it's mine."
Summary: "I'm not gonna sit in the dark anymore."
Just Breathe -
This song is where the album really begins, the previous three are enjoyable enough, but were all singles so many of you will have heard them prior. 'Just Breathe' would fit perfectly on Thrice's 'Air' EP. The verses feel a little rushed, but the chorus dances in the clouds as Dustin's voice plays beautifully with the guest vocals of Emma Ruth Rundle. The outro in particular is entrancing.
Best: "I wanna feel the wind's embrace, each blade of grass between my fingers."
Summary: "Stay deep in the moment, just breathe."
Everything Belongs -
This is a gorgeous piano ballad that begins with the most stripped down feel of any Thrice song in recent memory and ends with a crescendo akin to something Explosions in the Sky might do. Another 'Air' type of track. I have heard some fans complain that this feels like a Dustin solo song, but I don't think that's a bad thing.
Best: "There's a shadow that believes in fits and starts, it's the paradox that feeds the famished heart."
Summary: "I'm finally seeing that our weakness makes us strong and everything belongs."
My Soul -
This one has 'Water' written all over it. Long time fans will know that Dustin always includes exactly one straight up love song on every album, this is easily the best of those in Thrice's career. The song moves like a wave in and out of you and conjures the feelings of a first love, a honeymoon, a day full of open hearts and vulnerability. Perhaps not the strongest lyrics on the record, but it is easily the sexiest Dustin has ever sounded.
Best: "What if I open up my heart and we stumble into something real?"
Summary: "Are you ready for my soul?"
A Branch in the River -
This song is Thrice experimenting with a low-fi sort of late 80's hardcore punk sound. I really dig the grimy, dirty, basement show sort of feel. However, the instrumentation and Dustin's voice don't really evolve much throughout. One of the strongest songs lyrically speaking.
Best: "Conflate the I and we, weaving along with the song of the endless sea."
Summary: "Let go, and let yourself be carried away."
Hold Up A Light -
This will certainly prove to be the most divisive song on the album. I have heard many fans say it sounds like a Nickleback tune and is one of the worst Thrice have ever recorded. I will admit that my high score of this record would be much lower if I felt the same way. I hear more of an early 90's grunge vibe, something Nirvana may have recorded circa their 'In Utero' days. Either way you view it, this is definitely the heaviest song of the set and for my money would not feel out of place on 'Fire'. The lyrics do get a bit repetitive in parts, but the guitar work is ever changing, so this doesn't bother me.
Best: "It's raining and I know we're tired, but try to raise your lamps a little higher."
Summary: "Hold up a light until the morning comes."
Blood On Blood -
This is likely the grooviest, most 'Beggars' sounding track on the album. It has a sound similar to 'In Exile' or 'Doublespeak'. There is also a surprising harp solo and some cool ukulele throughout.
Best: "A novel take on an ancient book."
Summary: "Ship 'em off to another shore, but it's still blood on blood."
Beyond the Pines -
From the discussions I've seen online, this song is far and away the most widely loved, and for good reason. The instrumentation starts minimal, again in the 'Air' category, and while it grows over the song's run-time, the real star here is Dustin's vocals and lyrical prowess. Thematically it's in line with 'Come All You Weary', and is very similar in its message to 'Down There By The Train' by Tom Waits (covered by Dustin on 'Songs That Float on A Different Blood').
Best: "Further than our false schemes of wrong and right, is a field where we can walk, leaving all our names behind."
Summary: "We can finally make an end of these divisions."
I expect that everyone will find what they are looking for on this record. If you are searching for flaws, you'll see plenty. If you want to find moments of radio ready rock, they are there. However, if you want to see Thrice experiment with new sounds, or hear Dustin conjure thought provoking images, you won't be disappointed either. This album is at once the best and the worst thing they have ever done. All it really is, is a mirror. You've already made up your mind.
