It may be too early to write off any surprise, last minute releases, but I think it's safe to say that my Top Album of 2007 goes to Orange County's Thrice's latest release, The Alchemy Index: Volumes I&II - Fire and Water. I know this is my top choice out of the countless hours of quality music released this year because I came to this conclusion without a doubt in my mind, a mind that's normally plagued with indecision and commitment issues. On paper, the idea of a concept album that dealt with the 4 quintessential elements of life - Earth, Water, Wind and Fire seemed too grand in it's scale, as if the 4 piece post-hardcore outfit(a futile effort to pigeon-hole them into a genre, I know) had bitten off more than they could chew. While the possibility to pull off something truly amazing and inspirational was glimmering on the horizon, me, ever the cynic, saw it more like a mirage, as if their over zealous, ambitious ideas were blinding them - would it be possible to execute and integrate these elemental motifs in a memorable and effective way? The possibilities and ideas they could come up with were indeed endless, but at the same time would this creative approach be their bane? Conforming to the themes of Fire and Water might restrict instead of direct their musical ideas, compromising what COULD be an excellent release.So I heeded the release date with trepidation. I wanted it to be a good record, I really hoped they could pull it off - the videos they aired on their website that chronicled and hyped their impending release began to ease my paranoid mind. Maybe they could do it? And they just seemed like such cool, down to earth guys, you just wanted them to succeed, much like how audiences side with the protagonist whose against-all-odds-but-has-his-heart-in-the-right-place. They were the underdogs, as I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was scared for them. Obviously I was tripping (I think a bit too much).
After buying it (hooray for supporting quality artists), listening to it, digesting it, liking it, loving it, obsessing over it and recommending it to nearly everyone that will listen to me, it would be an understatement to say Thrice has succeeded. They passed with flying colors, and all preconceptions of how the record would turn out were tossed aside as I listened with giddy-like-a-school-girl excitement. From the harrowing sirens that mark the beginning of 'Firebreather' from the Fire disc, to the brutally beautiful 'The Flame Deluge' to the epiphany enducing 'Open Water' on the latter disc (Water), this is one of the better albums I have heard in a long time. A release that actually impacted and touched me emotionally, which is always a rare and quite frankly, special thing (the last being 65daysofstatic's 'The Destruction of Small Ideas"...I should write about that next). If I had to choose which disc I preferred, it would have to be the Water disc, by the slightest of margins, simply because of the tracks 'Open Water' (and as I type this 'Lost Continent' and the instrumental 'Night Diving' spring to mind, pleading their cases as most memorable track). I'll agree with the consensus and say The Water disc is the stronger of the two, aptly executing the water motif- with dreamy, smooth guitar riffs, parts of the track that seem to be underwater, a lyrical delivery that has a lucid and slippery quality to it - it really is a must listen. That isn't to say the Fire disc is without its moments, as Firebreather will most assuredly be stuck in your head for days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
It's quite obvious that I'm pretty passionate about this release (understatement of 2007), but at lease I've found a record that I've enjoyed so much that I'm passionate about it. If that makes sense. I hope that everyone's found a record like that this year, and if they haven't, Thrice's Alchemy Index project sure isn't a bad place to start. Quick! Before 2007 comes to a close!
A very strong 4.8/5. (I should have just written a review...looking back)
*Honorable mention goes to Coheed and Cambria's Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume 2: No World For Tomorrow.
*I'll be making a top 10 album list as the year comes to a close so look out for that. Peace!
