Thrice's "The Alchemy Index: Vols. III & IV: Earth & Air" Release Date Set

The much anticipated second installment of Thrice's "The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Earth & Air " will be available April 15th, 2008, via Vagrant Records. On Earth & Air, the band channels a panorama of musical moods and soundscapes, creating a spectral beauty of inspiring sound.

A departure from songwriting tactics used on all prior releases, The Alchemy Index was done in the band’s own studio and engineered by guitarist Teppei Teranishi, without the assistance of an outside producer. “Although we wrote and recorded all 4 discs in the same time period, there was definitely and different approach to each one,” says singer Dustin Kensrue. Armed with completely open minds and lacking any conceptions as to what this release would bring the newest collection of songs from Thrice is a passionate and beaming follow-up to their celebrated, Fire & Water.

From the introductory notes of “Digging My Own Grave,” on the Earth disc, to the sprawling echoed chords of “Come All You Weary,” Thrice have ventured into and conquered a new land in paramount proportions.

Earth was defined in the sense that we knew we wanted it very stripped down, with few electrified instruments or full drums. We recorded almost all of it in an empty wood floored room, as opposed to the studio where the rest of the record was done. It was done much quicker than the rest of the records and was very informal” says Kensrue. “We wanted it to sound like the listener is in the room with us, like you're just sitting in a room with a few guys playing music. We used exclusively acoustic instruments like acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, upright bass, banjo and wind instruments (except for "Come All You Weary") and I think that made a big difference in the vibe of the disc. It's definitely some of my favorite songs we've ever written/recorded says Teranishi.

The singer’s sophisticated song craft and soulful, soaring tenor breaks through on the powerful and touching “Broken Lungs.” The haunting choral-esque “Daedalus” and euphoric “Silver Wings” will also be featured on the Air disc. “The Air disc is almost like a conglomeration of all four EP’s. While the rest of the records are pretty intentional and focused as far as their instrumentation and dynamics, the Air disc seems to be a bit more all over the place. There's stuff on there that's super stripped down, just acoustic guitar and singing, there's a song that's fully electronic, there's more traditional rock stuff (guitar, bass, drums), and there's even some more use of horns, says Teranishi. “Finding what made something work for Air was somewhat more elusive, and that ended up being a defining factor in the final choice of songs for that record,” says Kensrue.

Kensrue took the elemental theme still further by composing an original sonnet for each EP, set to music, yet organized in the traditional English structure and rhythmic fashion. These passages (“Child of Dust” on Earth; and “Silver Wings” for Air) offer powerful sentiments that serve as thought-provoking closers for each EP’s respective journey. “Each sonnet is written from the point of view of the personified element, speaking to mankind, and lamenting our various failings,” explains Kensrue.

Thrice will be headlining their first Canadian tour next month with Say Anything and Attack in Black and will kick off a U.S tour starting in mid-April with good friends, Circa Survive and Pelican.

Source: BigPictureMediaOnline