Song: "The Earth Isn't Humming"
Artist: Thrice
Album: "Live At The House Of Blues"
Year: 2008
Place Of Origin: Irvine, California
Years Active: 1999-2012, 2015
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"The Earth Isn't Humming" appears to be about an "end of days" type of situation. The Earth has a "hum" to it that is caused by the ocean's waves. So, perhaps the Earth has stopped rotating, or some sort of catastrophic event to cause the oceans to be still. Whatever natural occurence has happened, the vocalist watches as more and more people "fall down", which he is probably witnessing the end of humanity. "The Earth Isn't Humming" is actually a cover song that was originally performed by the Washington D.C. hardcore band Frodus. The original appeared on Frodus' 2001 album "And We Washed Our Weapons At Sea". Highly influenced by Frodus, Thrice covered "The Earth Isn't Humming" and the studio performance can be found on Thrice's 2008 album "The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV".
THRICE'S DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2000 - "Identity Crisis" (Greenflag Records)
2002 - "The Illusion Of Safety" (Sub City Records)
2003 - "The Artist In The Ambulance" (Island Records)
2005 - "Vheissu" (Island Records)
2007 - "The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II" (Vagrant Records)
2008 - "The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV" (Vagrant Records)
2008 - "Live At The House Of Blues" (Vagrant Records)
2009 - "Beggars" (Vagrant Records)
2011 - "Major/Minor" (Vagrant Records)
2012 - "Anthology" (Staple Records/Workhorse Music Group)
CURRENT STATUS OF THRICE:
Thrice formed as a band back in 1999 when the members were all still in high school. Their first release as a band was the 1999 EP, "First Impressions". Early on, Thrice developed a hardcore/punk style featuring blistering fast riffs and some gutteral screaming vocals. In 2003, Thrice released their crossover album, "The Artist In The Ambulance". This was the band's major label debut and it features classic Thrice songs such as "All That's Left", "Stare At The Sun" and "The Artist In The Ambulance". Their 2005 release, "Vheissu", featured a change in musical style. The band was veering away from it's hardcore/punk roots and becoming a more experimental band, using a wide array of instruments and slowing down their pace. The lyrics were also getting deeper, featuring several religious themes as well as being influenced by various literature and writings. "Vheissu" would be Thrice's highest charting album of it's career, reaching #15 on the Billboard 200 charts. By 2009, Thrice wanted to make a more upbeat record as they felt "Vheissu" and "The Alchemy Index Vols I, II, III & IV" were "sleepy" feeling records. They achieved this with their 2009 release "Beggars" and their 2011 release "Major/Minor" really encapsulated what Thrice was as a band for it's entire career. In 2012, Thrice decided that they were going to take a hiatus on being a full time band, though they did declare that Thrice was not breaking up. This hiatus allowed the band members to focus on their various side projects, most notably lead singer Dustin Kensrue's solo material. Kensrue would become a worship leader at Mars Hill Church in Bellevue, Washington where he and his family live, but he would resign his position in 2014 due to a controversy surrounding the church's pastor. 2015 saw Thrice get back together and perform at several music festivals including Amnesia Rockfest in Quebec, Heavy Music Festival in the U.K. and Riot Fest in Denver, Chicago and Toronto. Currently, it is not known if the festival performances might jumpstart a new album by Thrice in the near future. As I said earlier, the band members themselves did not close the door on Thrice as a band so hopefully, these reunion shows are a spark that leads to new material being released. Though Thrice has evolved musically over the years, their style is comparative to bands such as Brand New and Thursday. Their roots are hardcore/punk but they are always evolving musically, technically and lyrically. I don't want to call them unheralded, but, to me, Thrice never really got their due as to how good they are as a band. I personally think they are one of the best rock bands to come out. Top 10 rock band in my book!
TEN THRICE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Stare At The Sun
2. Red Sky
3. Image Of The Invisible
4. Deadbolt
5. The Artist In The Ambulance
6. In Exile
7. Come All You Weary
8. All That's Left
9. Promises
10. Digital Sea
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