thursday has at one point in time been among the top tier of bands in my playlist. waiting, full collapse and especially war all the time are still to this day, some of the best albums i’ve ever heard.

anyway, the group’s dropping their first full-length since 2006’s a city by the light divided, which i personally thought was a whole lot of awful, save a few songs. common existence (in stores today) trudges along the same lines, but as a whole, has a much tighter and cohesive sound. it’s not quite as awkwardly experimental as city and not quite as aggressive as full collapse.

regardless, read the review after the jump.

Artist: Thursday
Album: Common Existence
Record Label: Epitaph Records
Release Date: February 17, 2009

Taking into consideration that Thursday alienated many of their fans with their disappointing 2006 album, A City by the Light Divided, it’s an understatement to say that there’s a lot riding on Common Existence, which is the New Brunswick group’s fifth full-length release.

A City by the Light Divided took the band’s previously aggressive and energetic sound and transformed it into an experimental and scatter-brained mess. However, they’ve taken a different approach to their music lately. With the new songs they released on the 2007 release Kill the House Lights, along with their songs on their 2008 split with Envy, they’ve made a conscious effort to bridge the gap between their old, more aggressive sound and their more experimental, new sound.

Common Existence begins with “Resuscitation of a Dead Man,” which as a first single and album opener, falls flat in many places. Singer Geoff Rickley has always had a more raw and unconventional vocal method, but there doesn’t seem to be a clear vision on many of the songs. Songs like “Beyond the Visible Spectrum” and “Circuits of Fever” are other examples of inconsistent tracks.

Another slip-up concerning Thursday is their choice in production duties. Dave Fridmann, who has handled duties for the Flaming Lips and Mogwai, has helmed their last two full length releases. Fridmann is by no means a bad producer, but his ability to create a more space-rock feel doesn’t seem to mesh with Thursday’s sound all too well. That being said, Fridmann has done a fairly decent and a much better job of capturing the band’s element this time around.

The album does have its fair share of plunder, though. “Last Call” borrows style tips from 2002’s Jet Black New Year, with a highly climactic bridge. “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” and the politically-charged “Friends in Armed Forces “are sure shot signs that Thursday’s songwriting ability has not gone astray. “Time’s Arrow” is another gem, and Thursday’s best U2 impression, complete with the electronic flourishes and delay pedals. “Unintended Long Term Effects” and the soon to be fan-favorite “Subway Funeral” are some of Thursday’s best work since War All the Time.

In retrospect, it would’ve been in Thursday’s best interest to have released Common Existence in between the releases of 2003’s War All the Time and A City by the Light Divided. They would have arguably held on to many of the fans that were polarized, and it would’ve been an overall smoother progression. That’s hindsight, though. Common Existence falls flat several times, but is an overall cohesive and much more consistent effort and will surely gain old fans and garner new fans alike. In the same sense, there is a definite probability that fans who completely have disregarded the band before won’t be changing their minds anytime soon.

Grade: C-

preview two songs off of common existence:

last call
as he climbed the dark mountain

peep the “making of” video for their first single, “resuscitation of a dead man”:

thursday on myspace.
epitaph on the web.

-grizzly