Thrushes – Sun Come Undone – A Review

It’s not often I get a request to review a record. I don’t consider myself a music critic. I don’t consider myself a writer, either. So when I was asked to review Baltimore’s own Thrushes’ new record, I was kind of taken back. Do I not review the record because I am too good to be a music critic? Or do I do it, to support good local music? I chose the later path.

I’d like to start off by saying I know nothing about this band, except they are from Baltimore and they have a band name that I had to look up in wikipedia. My first impressions from opening their package, was wow, the label is shelling out a crap load on these guys? Stickers, buttons, post cards, note cards, and friggin’ business cards. Yes business cards. Hey, it is a business, I reckon. Regardless of the propaganda (of which I will be putting their bird/8th note button on my laptop bag momentarily), the actual CD packaging was a nice fold-out digipak. The color was nice on the cover and the fonts were well chosen.

I am going to review this record track by track. Because that’s the way I roll.

1. Aidan Quinn
   [audio:http://www.olympus-mons.com/audio/Reviews/01%20Aidan%20Quinn.mp3]
   My first impression with the drum intro was, “Is this Joy Division?” – Then the organ (?) and guitars came in. Then the destruction came in. Holy moly. This has the potential to be a great record, I can tell. The vocals are bittersweet and well recorded. Her upper harmonics remind me of Jeremy Enigk’s in Sunny Day and a little Suzanne Vega and Hope Sandoval in the body of the voice.
2. Heartbeats
   [audio:http://www.olympus-mons.com/audio/Reviews/02%20Heartbeats.mp3]
   The drum intro here was kinda shaky and when the drums aren’t solid, I usually turn off the record. But then the song kicked in. Is this “Just Like Honey” by the Jesus and Mary Chain? Perhaps with some Phil Spector production. Definitely adaptive and in a good way. Lush guitars and verbed out drums are my jam. I feel the drum production (or tuning) could use a little more.
3. Loyalty – The bells are awesome. The drums remind me of Yo La Tengo. And the progression remind me of Explosions in the Sky. I feel like I could talk with the guitarists about tone and reverb for hours.
   
4. In To The Woods – The first balls out rocker. The clean guitars are a nice constrast.
5. Flying - Hearing these drums beg the question: why is the beat junked up on Heartbeats? Still not sure I like the production on the drums, be it micing or tuning especially for less loud sections. I have to say, the lyrics are great in this song.
6. Ghost Train – I really like the dissonance of the guitars. Again, a very explosive middle section. And the screaming vocals remind me of DC’s Rondelles.
7. Halloween – This track feels like it should be the last track. And not because it’s not great. It is great and I usually like saving great songs for the end.
8. New Years Kiss – The verbed/echo’d out guitar has elements of God Speed You Black Emperor written all over it. And it’s such a good thing. The bells don’t hurt that fact either. I think any band that has bells or xylophone in it are instantly awesome.
9. Wake Up – There is so much desperation in this cut. While at the same time there is hope. You can feel it and it’s good. Perhaps the hidden hope in a lot of the tracks music is what keeps me listening.
10. Roy – Holy awesome. The tension in the buildup is incredible. And it sounds like there’s a new singer here. Usually I get bored of two singer operations, but it really works here to add a new element to the band. Perhaps because there are so few words.
11. The Hardest Part – Ok, I take it back with Halloween. This track is definitely the last track and it should be.

So there are a few things that need to be said. Where the fuck is the shoegaze scene in Baltimore and why isn’t it huge? I hope this becomes a trend in Baltimore – I sure hope to follow in their footsteps. Man, this record really makes me want to listen to it over and over again. I’d really like to see them live to see how this all translates. Especially with the drums and vocals with the reverbs. Looks like they are playing the Ottobar on the 5th of April. I am going to try and make it out there. I’d also like to note that the lyrics sheet fit on one panel of the packaging. And there is ample negative space. There’s something to say about brief lyrics. Why use 4 panels of lyrics when you can get it out more than effectively in 1 panel? I salute you for being concise in the lyrical department.

For those that would like more information, you can do most everything on their website. Pictures, media, tour dates, reviews. They are also on myspace.

You can also order Thrushes’ latest CD below:

And for those that need ratings, I’d give this record 4/5. A completely breathtaking first effort. [rating:4/5]