The Thermals – Fuckin A LP

Description

With a title that’s as much a call to arms as a call to rock out,the Thermals‘Fuckin Aoffers a darker, more developed version of the passionate, in-the-red indie rock of their debut,More Parts Per Million. The most immediately noticeable difference between the two albums is the sound quality: instead of recording most of the songs to a cassette player inHutch Harris‘ kitchen, as the band did with their first album, this timethe Thermalsspent four days in a more traditional studio with friend/producer/Death Cab for Cutieguitarist/organistChris Walla. The result is an album that sounds cleaner but still keeps most of the band’s ramshackle energy. However,the Thermalshave different reasons to sound urgent onFuckin Athan they did onMore Parts Per Million; though that album’s “No Culture Icons” tackled the politics of the indie scene, much ofFuckin Ais just straight-up political, a response to the war in Iraq and other events in America and in the world that transpired after their debut was released. The switch to a moderately cleaner sound for this album pays off well in this regard, if only because it’s easier to hearHarris‘ smart, talky lyrics with a few layers of static stripped from them. On songs like “End to Begin,” “When You’re Thrown,” and “God and Country” — on which he sneers, “Pray for a new state, pray for assassination” —Harrisbalances the power of protest chants with the same intricate wordplay and internal rhymes that made it worth dividing his lyrics fromMore Parts Per Million‘s wash of noise. Even the songs that aren’t overtly political still have political leanings: on “A Stare Like Yours,” described byHarrisas an “aggressive love song,” he sings, “When you don’t have control, you have to pretend.” Likewise, “Forward” and “Remember Today” have a bouncy idealism that stands in sharp contrast toFuckin A‘s more charged moments. “Keep Time,” one of the best songsthe Thermalshave yet written, is both upbeat and political, an anthem about trying to keep some hope even in challenging times. Owing to its themes,Fuckin Ais a shade or two less exuberant thanMore Parts Per Million, but it’s no less passionate or energetic, and it provesthe Thermalscan introduce new sounds and ideas into their music without losing what made them worth listening to in the first place. -All Music Guide