Album Review: “Beggars” by Thrice

Thrice’s new full length album “Beggars” leaked onto the internet MORE THAN 2 MONTHS (July) before its scheduled release date (October). However, this review was from a listen of the proper digital copy of the album that was released on Itunes on August 11th.

I’ve always admired the musical versatility of Thrice. From the pulse pounding beats of “The Illusion of Safety”, the pop-punk sensibilities of “Artist in the Ambulance”, the progressive riffs in “Vheissu”, and the massive sonic landscape covered by “The Alchemy Index”. Beggars is an album that sounds like the combination of Vheissu and the Earth disc from the Alchemy Index.

For starters, the album isn’t very upbeat and it’s not very heavy either. One word I’d use to describe the overall sound of the album though, is “raw”. Album opener, “All the world is mad” gives listeners a ride on a chugging baseline reminiscent of Thrice’s days of playing heavier music. The songs bridge provides a mid-tempo and slightly heavy vibe for the album. However, after the first song, you’ll notice that Thrice, yet again, has embarked on another journey of musical discovery.

Circles, was the song that caught my interest the most on this record. It’s very soft and very relaxing to listen to. A slow piano-based song, it is simply, one of the best songs that Thrice has ever produced.

The highlight of the album however is “In Exile”. Being perfectly placed in the middle of the tracklist, the song encompasses the album as a whole both musically and lyrically. It has a slow drum pattern that will make you shake your head in unison with Dustin Kensrue’s excellent vocals. Its chorus ( “My heart is filled with songs of forever” ) manages to be catchy without over-doing it.

“At the last” has a punk sounding intro and fast verses that sounds like a throwback to the Thrice music of old. Although this time, the hardcore and metal elements are clearly at a minimal.

The final and title track of the album is “Beggars”.I didn’t hear anything special in the slow verses and the riff heavy bridge. However, the lyrical message in the song is outstanding. It is a message to world’s powerful and influential, reminding them that all their power and riches mean nothing if they poor in spirit. For if they are poor in spirit, they ARE poor and are thus, Beggars.

Notably, the album is devoid of heavy screams. I guess the band thought it didn’t fit with the type of music they wanted to create. Overall, the album as a whole is better than The Alchemy Index. However, it pales in Comparison to Vheissu, which in my opinion, is Thrice best work. The album is slightly disappointing for Thrice’s standards, however, a slightly disappointing Thrice is still better than a lot of other bands from the hardcore/punk scene which spawned them.

Beggars is step in the right direction for the band in terms of song writing, lyrics, and musical consistency.

Album review: Minutes to Midnight By Linkin Park

A track by track review of Linkin Park’s latest album, Minutes to Midnight.

01. Wake

This introductory instrumental starts of with a needle going down on a vinyl record and is very different from the other 2 instrumentals found in their previous 2 albums. Scratching elements are barely heard, its not hip-hop sounding and is shorter than either Cure for the Itch or Session-a fact that they should have changed because it could have really made this instrumental better if it was a bit longer. Its not really dark as previously described, but it has that sense of spookyness to it in the beginning before it finally breaks off into a full on, guitar themed instrumental. Not the Mr. Hahn spotlight track that fans have been used to.

—> 3/5

02. Given Up

A song that sounds pretty new for LP but also sounds pretty familiar and is also one of the heaviest songs on the album. The bass lines on this riff heavy, punk sounding song is excellent and the un-LP like clapping sound in the beginning/through out the song sounds pretty good and suits the song well. The chorus has Bennington screaming “What the f*ck is wrong with me?!” and the screaming bridge which I previously described as “heavy as f*ck” really is the heaviest part of the album and seals this one as one of the best songs on the album. In a little bit of LP history, its the first LP song that has the F-word in the lyrics.

—>4.5/5

03. Leave out all the rest

The first of several poppy-ballad songs on the album, this one manages to be pretty good. lyrically, its one of the best if not the best song on the record. Chester Bennington describes the lyrics: I’m singing ‘Pretending someone else can save me from myself’ during it because it’s supposed to feel like an apology letter, as though I’m moving on but I want people to remember the good things and not the bad things. A lot of the song is about humility.” And thats really what the song is about. Musically, this song is electronically based and sounds a lot like some pop-RNB hits of today-it can even be a hip-hop song if you take away the singing and replace it with rapping. With that said, it still has its share of guitars during the chorus. As always, Bennington’s vocals are excellent and he nails this one well proving that he really is one of the most versatile singers as far as Rock bands go.

—>3.5/5

04. Bleed it Out

This is one of the most unique songs that Linkin Park has ever done, it doesn’t sound like any of their previous songs. It starts off with the sound of band members conversing and is the fastest and shortest song on the album and is also the first one that has Mike Shinoda back on the well..the mike. The rapping sounds pretty different too, more in your face and it lyrically its like a party-rap song as far the rapping is concerned. The drumming will make you bang your hand or clap your hands more times than you’d expect while you hear and an 80s rock-like guitar riff and people clapping and singing along in the background. Its like they played the song with fans in the studio clapping and singing along. Thankfully, the screaming vocals round up this very unique song. Shinoda also comments on this song saying “When it finally came together I said I don’t think anyone but us could have made a song like this’. It’s fucking bizarre death-party-rap-hoedown!”.

—>3.5/5

05. Shadow of the day

Another poppy ballad, its also a very slow song-probably the slowest on the album. Its one of the most melodic songs on the album with a simple/slow drum pattern, violins playing in the background similar to Breaking the habit but it also has this brief guitar solo similar to that of What I’ve done that plays a couple of times, first during the bridge and then in the song’s outro. A song thats very easy to listen to especially for people who like poppy music.

—>2.5/5

06. What I’ve Done

This song was the perfect first single because it encompasses everything that the album has. It starts off with a haunting piano hook and gently breaks off into a full song. The drumming is pretty different for LP with a much more complex pattern. The lyrics talks about someone saying goodbye to his former self and things that he’s done in the past in an apology-esque way. Finally, the scratching sounds make a return at just the right time-during verses/right before the chorus. The song’s best parts are the chorus and the bridge and after that Delson unleashes a short but sweet guitar solo of sorts. To close it out, Mike Shinoda sings “nanana” in the background and in a way that really compliments Bennington’s soaring track.

—->5/5

07. Hands held high

This is the second and final song with rapping on it and it is indeed another slow-ballad type of song. The drumming/beat on this sound reminds me of that “Like toy soldiers” song by Eminem which i know is just a sample that Eminem took from another song. Lyrically, im not really sure what this song is about although i think its about a war, probably the Iraq war. Pretty simple song in terms of music although its chorus has choire like vocals singing “Amen” in the background while Shinoda sings. Not excellent at all but this might grow on you since the rhymes are pretty good.

—>3/5

08. No More Sorrow

Finally, another heavy song-the heaviest on the album! And a very good one at that. It starts off with a guitar solo (although im not sure if you can actually call it a solo-more of a riff really) that has this Ebow guitar effect that sounds really cool followed by heavy drumming. Rob’s great drumming has really shown in this record and especially on this song. It also has that clapping sound throughout the song similar to Given Up. I’ve already heard the band play this live and it sounds awesome especially because of the heavy guitar riffs and the screams of “Thieves and Hypocrites!” during the bridge. Lots of anger in the lyrics too this is still Linkin Park after all.

—->4.5/5

09. Valentine’s day

This is probably the closest LP has come to a love song, very appropriate title! Its poppy but it still sounds like a rock song mainly because of its chorus. It starts off with Bennington singing “My insides turn to ash” in a very sad, almost weakening tone. The verses are full of melancholy with slow drumming in the background. It has this somewhat-fast piano hook in the middle before it goes into the chorus that saves this song from mediocrity. A chorus that actually sounds like its still rock music. Once the chorus plays, the song suddenly sounds good and complete. Lyrically the song can be summed up in 6 words, being alone on a Valentine’s day-something I’ve been able to relate to.

—->4/5

10. In between

This song features Shinoda singing for the first time. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a dissapointment. A very boring and simple song. Shinoda’s vocals are okay and sounded good at times but the problem is the lack of particapation from other band members. There’s barely any guitar or drum playing to speak off and Chester’s vocals have been burried in the background, somewhere it doesn’t belong. (Sounds like an LP song?) Im really wondering why they made this song this way or why they even included the song in the album. Easily the worst song on the album.

—->1/5

11. In Pieces

Ah..this is the highlight of the album f*ckers! Arguably the best song on Minutes to Midnight, It has excellent progression from pop, to a reggae vibe, to a full rock song joined tied together by an excellent guitar solo which is pretty long too! I didn’t know Brad Delson could play guitars that well. This song just shows how Linkin Park has matured over the years and how their musicianship has improved. The lyrics are about Bennington’s divorce and 2nd marriage. The moment it blows into a full-on, in your face rock song, you’ll be blown away.

—>5/5

12. The little things give you away

Final track, the longest one too. Being the most hyped track on the album, this song really has a lot to live up to-fortunately for Linkin Park, it does. Clocking in at a minute and a half, its the longest song that LP has ever done. Its not a loud-heavy rock song. What it is is a very melodic, synth-driven ballad that starts off with an acoustic guitar. Whoa? LP and an acoustic guitar? Yup, you heard me right and the acoustic riff sounds great. Its a very epic song in a lot ways, it has this long, melodic guitar solo and eventually leads to both Shinoda and Bennington singing in a duet. Bennington’s towering vocals in the background while shinoda gently sings “the little things give you away”. Finally, the song ends in an accapella which is best listened to on headphones. You’ll hear shinoda singing “The little things give you away” on your left ear, “All you’ve ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you” again by shinoda on your right ear and finally Bennington’s epic, high notes in the background. YES, its that sick. Lyrically, its about the hurricane katrina tragedy in New Orleans in 2005 although there might be more on a personal level.

—->4.5/5

Final thoughs: Minutes to Midnight is Linkin Park’s most melodic album. It mixes pop, rock, hip-hop, punk, and almost every genre I can think of and gave it a progressive feel. People will really need to approach this album with an open mind, not expecting too much of their previous sound. The Diversity of the album is incredible and you’ll find a song that you’ll really like no matter what your favorite style is. There have been many firsts on this album, some good and some bad. Some people might need the album to “grow on them” for them to fully appreciate it and once you do, you’ll find an album thats as good or even better than their previous 2. After all, every band’s goal is to not sound the same every time out. Stop whining if you’re 16 and you think you’re too cool to listen to pop music. LP never cared about genres too much anyway.

Overall: —-> 3.5/5

Final notes: Album is over 40 minutes long-their longest, and is also the first album by LP to have explicit lyrics. The album cover is also the first to have all six members of the band.