Thursday, June 3, 2010

Kings Upon The Main

Thrice has delivered much over albums that came from the remnants of hardcore and have slowly wondered into electronica, ambience and general experimentation with all the genres mentioned. I don't like the term "post-hardcore", it doesn't mean anything because hardcore was short lived.

The four EPs of The Alchemy Index were not great but they did hold some great material. Kings Upon The Main is undiscovered brilliance.

It's Dustin Kensrue's earthy voice droning for wisdom and the gales of the ocean backed by three piano notes and distant, industrial percussion. Wind blows through the recording but only gently, as if the storm is elsewhere but visible. Songs like these can pass you by, unaware of their subtle grit.

The fact not much happens here makes the song so much better. The meditation of an almost drone.

1 comment:

Shaun Prescott said...

Agree with the uselessness of the "Post-hardcore" tag. Grindcore - particularly groups like Carcass and Napalm Death - evolved out of hardcore. Philosophically speaking they shared very little with metal. I think the term was birthed by fans otherwise uncomfortable with hardcore, you see it used in relation to tech groups like My Disco, Ohana etc, who tend to have more a more 'indie' fanbase.