Review Summary: Frosted tips and wallet chains renaissance
Just close your eyes and pretend its Deftones
Get those JNCO's out of the attic right now
nokia-core
These are just a couple of summaries I came up with for this album. When looked upon from the outside, Thornhill's "BODIES" can be easily catalogued as a grab at what made early 2000's alt-rock so special. However, in this broody-and-moody 37 minutes, in a vacuum, there's something that absolutely shines. I don't know what kind of "Matrix-sized" rabbit hole this band got inspired by in order to create this "Underworld-ly" album, but since the divisive "Heroine", this band seems to have been sharpening their "BLADE-s" when it comes to dreamy-and-then-aggressive pacing. That last pun was terrible, I know, but I'm going somewhere with the cheese.
I think it's safe to say you can separate BODIES from any work this band has ever done. Coming from someone who was serendipitously introduced to this band in the form of Silver Swarm popping up in a curated radio station, I went down the rabbit hole as Neo did, diving into Thornhill's catalogue, eager to hear more of this sound that is groovy and melodic, yet separated from the genre I've come to love. I emerged to find that this album is worlds away from anything this band has attempted to create prior.
Diving right into this pool, DIESEL and Revolver set the table and keep Thornhill's heavy sensibilities in check. We're greeted with a familiar and exciting groove into a vocal drawl that is positively hypnotizing; a recurring element in Jacob's armoire of spoken weapons. Between words both shouted and spoken, moans that fill the ambience between the moments the tasteful drums and low-string guitar walks, map out a solemn trail of longing. Like molasses, the moments weave into each other and then become solid. This is the basis that this album thrives upon. An absolutely engaging walk through their take on a blackened alt-metal.
If you can hang, Silver Swarm brings it all home. It defines what the rest of the album has in its arsenal. A romp through the best feelings evoked in this genre. Only Ever You takes it a step back further(?) and squints at a time when heavy music was emotional AND groovy. Able to be digested and appreciated. We "fall into the wind" into TONGUES, which, in my opinion, could have been made one track, but the former acts a breather nonetheless. Here we're given what I call, "the D factor" with the direction the band takes their heavy personage. I mean come on. You know what that "D" stands for and you really shouldn't mind. Fans of this sound should have a "holy *** two cakes" take on this and I'd be very sympathetic if you didn't.
"nerv" and "Obsession" decide to get really funky, and my eyes widened when I first heard Jacob pull off some Muse *** in nerv. I absolutely need to see this band perform "nerv" live. It begins with a lick reminiscent of Linkin Park's Meteora and drags it right underneath a pit of tar. Obsession takes that same low and sludgy sound and Jacob just keeps rolling with the punches, to the point where it's downright comforting.
CRUSH is the wildcard here. An EDM take on what I imagine to be the focused feeling of the rest of the album. It's basically a three-minute interlude into a fantastic one-two punch that is the final two tracks. CRUSH is still very interesting, but mainly in the context of the album. Alone, it accomplishes little, but I'm not skipping it if I'm listening to the entire album. "under the knife" brings back to light an energetic pulse of bobbing heads and contemplation. There's a darkness that begins to cascade over the eyes when it ends, and when For Now begins. Both songs absolutely soar, and warrant a 2nd or 3rd listen in order to really appreciate them both as album closers.
When you put aside any obvious influences of this release and take it for what it is, BODIES is a very enjoyable album, one that I prefer to spin from beginning to end, and it takes you on quite the ride. It seems Thornhill has found their place in their little nook, and this reviewer finds it to be a comforting ride through what makes this sound so special. Now if you'll excuse me, I got a wallet chain to dig out of my attic.
