Reviews
The Thermals
the body the blood and the machine
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2006-09-09
People will complain that this album is too minimal, that the drumming is overly basic, and that Hutch can’t really sing all that well. I wouldn’t bother arguing any of those points, because they all have merit. But when you look at the whole as opposed to its individual parts, there aren’t many bands I like more these days than the Thermals.
The Body The Blood and The Machine finds the Thermals sans original member Jordan Hudson, but Hutch Harris and Kathy Faster are up to the task of filling in for him on drums. The result is even further stripped down, and more reviewers are likely to bitch about this. I say, fuck them. Too many people get lost analyzing the instrumentation on the Thermals and miss out on all the fun.
Thermals fans will immediately feel that this is a more focused effort than Fuckin’ A, not to mention more ambitious. The last album was far from typical punk, but I would label it as such nevertheless; I wouldn’t do the same with The Body The Blood and The Machine. At times it still has those punk elements in the undercurrent, but whether it is because of the departure of Jordan Hudson or just that the band grew, their music seems to have graduated to a new level.
I just want to throw out a warning: with religion and its role in government being a constant theme throughout the album, I’d be surprised if some didn’t label it as pompous. I think that would be a misguided view, but inevitably some listeners will be rubbed the wrong way. Never is this theme more evident than on the opening track, “Here’s Your Future.”
A brief church organ, immediately followed by crunchy guitar and Hutch’s vocals, gets it rolling. What the Thermals present here is a rousing rock/punk track that really gets your blood flowing. If the sarcastic references to God and Hutch putting words in Jesus’ mouth offends you, it might not get the blood flowing for the right reasons. Last time I checked, punk was never supposed to make you feel comfy -- real punk, anyhow.
Songs such as “Returning to the Fold” and “Test Pattern” just wouldn’t have made any sense on Fuckin’ A. There is mainstream potential in them that I didn’t ever envision from the Thermals. This is largely due to the guitar riffs -- which are literally impossible not to instantly adore -- and the clear vocals that beg you to sing along. Terri didn’t think she had heard the Thermals before, but she had and I remember her being unmoved by them. So the fact that “Test Pattern” won Track-Fu bodes well for the Thermals breaking through with their latest release.
And don’t fret Thermalites – this album is every bit as lovable as Fuckin’ A was, plus a little bit more. Whenever I highly anticipate a release, I almost regret it because of how often it doesn’t fulfill my expections. But it always feels great when a band you love doesn’t let you down.
Score: 8.5
I wrote this review before I ever saw Pitchfork or Cokemachineglow’s reviews as I was in Newfoundland without access to the internet and so when I saw that they both gave the album 8.5/10 as well I was surprised but also thrilled. We can’t all be wrong can we?
- Dan