Review: Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance

artist: thrice album: the artist in the ambulance label: island records released: 7/03 by: rob tatum Well, I can imagine the thoughts that ran through the heads of most people when various bands began signing to major labels. I know that I was excited about some of them and I feared what would happen to others. Thrice was one of the bands I feared might change their sound drastically on a major label debut. I don’t think that there were any real indications or anything, but I didn’t think that Thrice could maintain the direction of their previous releases. To an extent, I was right. They didn’t change their ideals or anything, and The Artist in the Ambulance still contains many staples of the Thrice sound, but the feel of the album is quite different from Identity Crisis and The Illusion of Safety. One thing I noticed on the first listen through the album was that the album is much more refined and mature sounding than the previous releases. Like I said, there are still elements that let you know this is a Thrice release, but the clichéd breakdowns and guitar solos that broke up the flow of the songs on previous releases are all but gone on The Artist in the Ambulance. The only song that contains one of these anticipated “breakdowns” is the sixth track, “Paper Tigers” and it really stands out from the rest of the album. I’m not saying that it’s a bad song by any means, but I know that I have heard things such as “I wish this band would ditch the punk and just be hardcore” or “I wish this band would ditch the hardcore and just be punk” and it’s songs like this that cause statements like that to be made. On the other hand, anyone who made the aforementioned comments about the band’s style might be disappointed with this release because it is more melodic than either of their previous releases, and the songs are more dynamic in structure. Sure the band still focuses on heavy melodies and fantastic guitar work, but it’s pieced together more intelligently than before. From my perspective I don’t think the band can really be categorized into one genre and this release cements that even more so. I have been a Thrice fan for quite some time, but there were times that I agreed with some of the complaints about too many blast beats or too many solos, and I hope that this release will erase those complaints from everyone else’s minds as well. After listening to this album about twenty or thirty times (yes, I haven’t stopped listening to it for about a week) I can’t help but be impressed by the majority of the songs. Yes, there are still parts of songs that don’t do much for me, but I think that is true for almost any release, but for the most part the songs on The Artist in the Ambulance are amazing. The melody that each song contains is terrific. I have realized that if Thrice was missing something on any of their previous releases it was the melody they have created on this album. The songs “Stare at the Sun” and the title track are the best songs I have heard from this band to date. Both songs are great sing-alongs and their structures are excellent. I am yet to find any one song that I don’t like and I really impressed with musicianship throughout. Dustin’s lyrics are still quality and he still manages to write heartfelt songs without getting too personal or too general. I have to say that I was skeptical of what Thrice would create on this album, but they didn’t disappoint. The Artist in the Ambulance is by far their best release. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this album essential for everyone, but this is a very high quality full length and I think that fans, as well as critics of the band’s previous material, should pick this up. favorite song: “stare at the sun” rating: 90%/100% listen to thrice