One day was just one of those Thrice days. I opened up my iTunes and decided to listen to all the albums of the band. While doing so, I couldn't help but recognize the subtle changes of their playing style throughout their different albums. Because today Thrice is identified as an "Alternative" band, which subsequently is a form of Punk, I thought it would be interesting to write some analysis since talking about it during class is much more difficult.
There are two songs I'd like to talk about in particular: Deadbolt and Circles, with the former released earlier than the latter. When you compare the two, you can immediately conclude that the former is much more aggressive with the guitars, screaming vocals, drums, etc. After reading chapter three in Goths, Gamers, and Grrrls, I couldn't help but think of this as one of the examples the book gave. The meaning within the song is about temptation that individuals struggle with against society, a common theme found within punk songs. I've also added a link to a concert of Thrice's playing of the song; you can see the audience "moshpitting," a common thing found in these types of concerts.
Next is Circles which is a much more relaxed song; the guitar, drums, and vocals are much more relaxing. Though still the same band, Thrice decided to change their identity from a hardcore punk band to that of an alternative one, a much more "calmer" punk band. Another example would be the song Beggars. Even videos of the band performing live are no longer in environments similar to that of Deadbolt. The audience is much more relaxed, and there seems to be a more settling feeling. Furthermore, though the band's main message against society hasn't changed throughout the albums, their playing style certainly has transformed. I've added a link for both songs below as well.
I've always supported the band, and even my friends who listen to the band and reviewers of their album give positive remarks. I thought it was interesting in the fact that the audience of this certain group can accept change; you always see other groups slashing at the fact that "They changed because they want to make more money." But why the positive remarks for Thrice? In my personal opinion, I believe that if a subculture undergoes a transformation, but still retains the same message while going by that message, they can still maintain the same amount, if not more, of number for their audience.
When we watched the video of the certain punk band and examined the lyrics during class (I apologize but I totally forgot the band's and song's name..), most of us came to the conclusion that this song didn't represent the punk era: Though the lyrics certainly showed it, the band portrayed itself as a "mainstream" band that seemed to come into conflict with the very lyrics it published.
On the other hand, Thrice is a relatively quiet band in that it's not mainstream nor does it have as much fan base as other musicians and bands have, e.g. Justin Bieber, Drake, Linkin Park, etc. In doing so, it seems as if Thrice would not accept the opportunity to become a mainstream band if it wanted to, while still writing the same lyrics.
All in all, I just thought it'd be interesting to share with you guys what I thought with bands, while maintaing the same if not more fan base, changing the style of their music throughout time.
LINKS:
Deadbolt (Concert): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BTqALvNJO4 (NOTE: This concert was recently uploaded in 2012, but the song itself is older. Also, the other concert videos were in worse quality)
Circles (Concert): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-BnpgPfCnw
Beggars (Concert): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-CiSVxCWzw
No comments:
Post a Comment