THURSDAY - Common Existence

By R. Brian Hastie - Drive Home: Countdown To Armageddon - 02/17/2009

Common Existence finds New Jersey’s Thursday at a crossroads: having been ditched by major label Island after their less-than-stellar studio album (2006’s A City By The Light Divided) and ending back up on their former home Victory Records, the band released a b-sides/rarities compilation in late 2007 entitled Kill The House Lights, and then last year dropped an EP with Japanese band Envy. The b-sides release showcased the driving, urgent rhythm that ignited what is arguably their best album, War All The Time, while the split with Envy showed a pensive, adventurous side that was willing to let songs build up, crescendo and explore space.

Common Existence melds these two versions of Thursday quite well; “Resuscitation Of A Dead Man” serves as an awesomely powerful opener, kick-starting things and allowing the band to put the naysayers to rest. Conversely, “Time’s Arrow” brings out moody, slow-driving Thursday, incorporating an acoustic guitar, a slow midsection made up of a wall of backwards sound and singer Geoff Rickley’s most melodic performance in a while.

The record satisfies me in ways that their previous studio records couldn’t; it’s a “best of both worlds” scenario that caters to fans of all versions of Thursday that doesn’t sacrifice any of its potent musicality to please any fans of a particular version of the band.

Tune into Countdown to Armageddon with Brian every Thursday from 4PM to 6PM