Music CD - Thrice: Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air and Earth

	Music CD: Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air and Earth Artist: Thrice List Price: $13.98 Our Price: $9.44 Your Save: $ 4.54 ( 32% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Vagrant Records
Average Customer Rating:
Tracks: 1. Air 1 Broken Lungs 2. Air 2 The Sky Is Falling 3. Air 3 A Song For Milly Michaelson 4. Air 4 Daedalus 5. Air 5 As the Crow Flies 6. Air 6 Silver Wings 7. Earth 1 Moving Mountains 8. Earth 2 Digging My Own Grave 9. Earth 3 The Earth Isn't Humming 10. Earth 4 The Lion and the Wolf 11. Earth 5 Come All You Weary 12. Earth 6 Child of Dustin
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0601091048027 Label: Vagrant Records Manufacturer: Vagrant Records Number Of Discs: 2 Publisher: Vagrant Records Release Date: 2008-04-15 Studio: Vagrant Records
Related Items The Alchemy Index, Vol. 1 & 2 The Black Swan Pretty. Odd. The Bedlam in Goliath In Rainbows
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: More than meets the ear Comment: What makes this album (the entire Alchemy Index) so ridiculously great is the fact that you can always find some new wrinkle in either the lyrics, song relationships, or music each time you listen to it. I first heard of Thrice soon after their Illusions of Safety album came out and have loved/studied Thrice ever since. But this last album is just at a completely new level. It pays tribute to the Classical greats in the fact that it seems that a lot of people who listen to it get bored or sleepy or something; but when you dissect the songs and look into how everything fits together, it's a work of art that is more intricate and fulfilling than basically anything else in modern music history. I've been really looking into the Air CD these last few days, and it's interesting to notice the purpose behind the songs: 1. Broken Lungs--As far as I can tell, it's a song that mentions Dustin's suspicions of the 9/11 reports. Sure, there were instances that inspired suspicion, but I must say that I disagree with Dustin on this point. 2. The Sky Is Falling--A plea to governments across the globe (but a little extra emphasis on the US due to its worldwide influence) to stop the violence before Chicken Little is proven right. 3. A Song for Milly Michaelson--A love ballad from the viewpoint of a flying autistic boy (go check out the movie "The Boy Who Could Fly." This one doesn't make sense if you haven't seen it, but it's just plain genius if you have). 4. Daedalus--Same story as "Melting Point of Wax" but from the father's point of view. Wow, this song is powerful. 5. As The Crow Flies--Another father-like song expressing his wishes that his daughter become someone great. 6. Silver Wings--Dustin's Christian influence is shown most in this song that literally can be taken as a charge from that element Air to humankind to appreciate what it does for us. But it also likens God to air in an extremely straightforward metaphor. Earth is just plain incredible as well with much more of that Christian influence permeated throughout. As a fellow Christian, it's great to see Dustin express his belief in our Creator so shamelessly. One big thing that I admire is that Thrice's idea of marketing themselves has been to be real. They write the music that they feel led to write. They sponsor non-profit organizations because they believe in them--not as a PR trick to earn a few extra fans. They do things because they believe what they do is right, and those that are drawn to this honesty are the ones who reap the rewards. Ah, I could go on and on about Thrice and how great they are, and this review may seem a bit ADD, but that's just because there is always something new to discover about this band. Customer Rating: Summary: Hmm... Comment: Well after the crap of Fire and Water that is so called music by Thrice, I wasn't so overly enthused to listen to this album. But actually, it was a hell of a lot better than the previous one. The first few songs are really good and I enjoyed them and listened to them again. But... I just want to know what Thrice is trying to do. Is this maturity? Is this finding a new sound or something? Let me tell you something before I have people yelling at me telling me this music is art. This is not a bad cd. But this is not the Thrice that we know. The Thrice we know has fast punk-metal beats and loves to jam hardcore. This cd has none of that. This would be a good cd from another band, but not Thrice. It's just not them, this isn't their music. This music is too damn slow for me. If I just want to sit back and think about life for an hour, I'll listen to this album. If I want to jam and go to some crazy fun things, I'll listen to their first 3 albums. Customer Rating: Summary: hate it Comment: please stick to the formula as was conceived in artist so we can have a nice day. Customer Rating: Summary: Fully satisfied with the entire Alchemy Index. Comment: Air: 5 stars. Earth: 4.5 stars. Hearing Alchemy Index's first two volumes set the bar high for me, as it followed up Vheissu, the record that made me realize this band was far above ordinary. This elemental concept is interesting and limiting them as EP's for the discs actually shows how strong and coherent their songs can be. I found there wasn't a single weak song on the first half, and now that the second half was out I can say that declaring it as a masterpiece CAN be justified. The first disc, Air, has some of the group's most unique and fascinating tracks. "Broken Lungs" has some of their finest melodies and is a more electrified track from the album, although expect nothing like Fire. "The Sky Is Falling" shows Riley's ability to do cool drumming patterns and it shows why he is pretty underrated in the context of the band, as well as the fact that it has more musical accomplishment on the whole. There's stark and beautiful minimalist numbers as well like "Song for Milly Michaelson" and possibly my favorite "As the Crow Flies." "Daedulus" is probably the most catchy track on the album and has some really classic melodies that will appeal to fans of any part of the project. The closing "Silver Wings" is an awesome rhythm section experiment, unlike anything else. It ends things on a high note, as for the first disc. Earth is probably my least favorite of the four discs but is still incredibly strong. It has the down-to-earth feeling of the Kensrue album but is more piano-based than that album. "Digging My Own Grave" has almost a jazz feel to it and wonderful lyrics to boot, where "Lion and Wolf" is pretty brief and "Child of Dust" is kind of strange, with a nice enough track but ending with recording the burying of a microphone. As for the songs of the "traditional" form, "Come All You Weary" has a fantastic chorus and a nice, positive vibe for the album. I can see why it's the single because it's my favorite from the disc. One song doesn't really follow these routes. I remember when seeing them perform "The Earth Isn't Humming" (originally from Frodus) and the maracas were being used, something I don't usually expect in a song from them. And the structure just rules. Actually I like Thrice so much that it convinced me to check out Frodus. If you want music done with a lot of integrity that is a nice and intriguing listen, you owe it up to yourself to buy this. I can't do without Thrice these days and this final half of the Alchemy Index attests that statement. Customer Rating: Summary: What I wanted, expected, and needed. Comment: I have been listening to Thrice for years and enjoy each album, every track. I wanted Air & Earth to be nothing alike, and nothing like Water or Fire, and that is what they gave me. This band is capable of more transition and skill than most of their predecessors. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: Thrice s boundary pushing continues with the second installment of the Alchemy Index series. Volumes 1&2 (Fire & Water), released in October of last year, were met with tremendous critical acclaim and fanfare. Fans and critics were especially impressed with the Water side and just how far the band had pushed the parameters of what they can do as professional musicians. The Earth and Air series show two more sides of the band that anyone has yet to see. The Earth side will showcase a more stripped down, raw element of the band, while Air will expose a more soft rock side. One thing is for certain...no one really knows where Thrice s music is going, and their fans seem to like it just fine that way.