The Thermals

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u2popmofo

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The Body, The Blood, The Machine was one of my favorite albums of 2006, but I was on a sabbatical from the forum at the time and wasn't here going on and on about it. Simply put, it's one of the best punk records in the last 4 or 5 years in my opinion.

I initially found out about The Thermals in 2004. I was flipping through CDs at my favorite music store, and came across the below album cover:

thermals-fuckin_a.jpg


My initial response was, "That may be the coolest album cover and title EVAR". I then flipped the CD over and realized they were on Sub Pop records, which was easily my favorite label at the time, and instantly purchased it. There are a number of incredibly catchy and infectious punk tracks on it (How We Know, A Stare Like Yours, Forward, etc), but nothing too deep or mind blowing. The amount they grew in 2 years with the release of The Body, The Blood, The Machine was incredible. A concept album about politics, religion, and society; yet just as rocking and catchy as their past efforts.

The Thermals have a new album coming out on Kill Rock Stars Records in April, and based on the debut single, Now We Can See, it looks to be just as enjoyable. Listen here:
"Now We Can See" [MP3/Stream] | Pitchfork

I HIGHLY recommend this band to anyone into punk, garage, or just plain ole raw rock and roll that has some intelligence behind it, but it still as catchy and rocking as can be. Hopefully there are some other fans around here, let yourselves be known! If you're not yet a fan, please check out the below songs and immediately become one, as they make FANTASTIC videos. If I haven't interested you enough in checking them out.... the female bass player is extremely cute, the frontman looks like Stephen Malkmus, and Ben Gibbard is in the 'Pillar of Salt' video.

YouTube - The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt

YouTube - The Thermals - Returning to the Fold

YouTube - The Thermals - How We Know
 
hey, i remember that album from a couple years ago. i think i remember digging it.
 
Ok, I definitely remember hearing their song "Here's Your Future" on the radio a lot 'round my way. And I liked it. Yeah, I just remember it being pretty punchy and punky with a chorus of "SO HERE'S YOUR FUTURE!" It's funny because I would have completely forgotten about that song forever if you hadn't started this thread. Now I will check out more of their stuff.

And the bassist is cute, and the frontman totally does look like Malkmus. Good calls all around, mofo.
 
hey, i remember that album from a couple years ago. i think i remember digging it.

Which?

I think you need to buy The Body, The Blood, The Machine, as I've always thought it sounded like something you'd like. Give the first two videos a shot, both of those are from it.
 
"Here's Your Future"

That's the opening song of the album, one of my favorites from it as well. Pretty cool your local radio played it, it wasn't even a single! I love this section of lines from it:

God reached his hand down from the sky
God asked Noah if he wanted to die
He said no sir, oh, no, sir
God said here's your future
...
It's going to rain
 
It was for over a year I think. Since I have no life, it feels longer in retrospect.
:huh:
 
Very good stuff, I think. I get antsy about the "best punk album since ____" stuff with everybody, and that includes The Thermals, but I can't deny how strong they are. I have a tenuous relationship with contemporary hardcore/punk bands, and my relationship with these guys is roughly the same. I should go to a library and check out a copy, again, and see if it sticks any better, after a few years. I think that the last two Fucked Up records've probably got me feeling a lot more open-minded, as far as this stuff goes.
 
I get antsy about the "best punk album since ____" stuff with everybody, and that includes The Thermals, but I can't deny how strong they are.

I actually wish I would have gone with "my favorite punk record in the last 4 or 5 years" instead, as I too dislike the arbitrary "best" titles. Even though I put the "in my opinion" later, "favorite' still would have worked better in retrospect.

Regardless, I'm glad you enjoy them. Hopefully this next try on their work sticks with you more. Similarly, hopefully the new album is fantastic so some more people get turned on to checking out their back catalog.
 
I knew what you meant, u2pm. I just also meant that there is kind of a general rush to over-praise every solid punk release that comes along, because (sad though it may be) the heyday of the genre was literally 30 years ago, now. Hardcore really killed a lot of stuff that New Wave'd put on life-support. The whole thing has yet even remotely to recover. I'm guilty of doing that kind of stuff, too. All the damned time.

It's like, whenever a pretty damn good punk-ish record rolls out, everybody has to lose their fucking minds, because MAYBE THIS WILL BE THE NEXT MASTERPIECE, FINALLY!!!1! A new savior hasn't been anointed in like 25 years, so people're hungry. Inevitably, the albums are just pretty damn good punk-ish records. I know that you don't think that their last record is the best punk record since Double Nickels on the Dime, or whatever, so no worries. I'm observing more generally these particular trends. It was the same thing with that last Thermals album, for a little while. And At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command. And each new Fugazi record. Don't even get me started, with NOFX. Et motherfucking cetera, you know?
 
Which?

I think you need to buy The Body, The Blood, The Machine, as I've always thought it sounded like something you'd like. Give the first two videos a shot, both of those are from it.

can't remember which. think it was fuckin a (which i'm basing off most-familiar-seeming picture on allmusic). can't remember if i heard it from you, if i heard it from the radio station, don't think i happened upon it at the record store...i'll look into that other one.
 
I'm not going to listen to whatever indietastic garbage you're soliciting just because it comes out of your fat mouth.

Although you've never steered me wrong before.
 
I have 2 things I'd like to share:

1. I was EXTREMELY happy to find out on Monday that they're playing here in April
2. I was EXTREMELY unhappy to find out today that I'll be in Vegas for work the day they're playing here in April

:angry:
 
when they come here (and they're coming to western mass!), i'm going. sweet!
 
Can't believe I didn't post in here since Now We Can See was released. Anyways, it's another of the few albums I can safely say is one of my favorites this year. It's so ridiculously catchy, makes me happy every time I hear it. Certainly not for everyone, nor does it have the depth of their previous effort, but if you're in the mood for a catchy punk album, can't really miss with it. The title tracks is one of my favorite songs this year as well, I really connect with it for some reason. Good stuff.
 
They released another new album, Personal Life, a few weeks ago. Oddly, it feels like it would be more fitting on a mainstream "punk" label like Vagrant, as it's the most straight forward poppy album they've ever put out. It's probably my least favorite of their last 3 or 4, as I don't really think the concept of the album works,, but it still has a number of extremely enjoyable songs.

Here's the first music video / single from the new album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOLC9gELguQ
 
not horrible. not awesome or anything, but not horrible. the song, that is. i didn't watch the video.
 
Carrie Brownstein from Sleater Kinney, and now Portlandia.

Really looking forward to the new album on Tuesday.
 
This album is a lot of fun, might be my favorite out of the last 3. What Pitchfork's reviewer was thinking, I don't know. Probably their most "punky" sounding album since their first couple albums. IWB, you should check it out.
 
What Pitchfork's reviewer was thinking, I don't know.

People who say things like ". Let a latter-day Mark Hoppus or Jim Adkins get a crack at these melodies and you’d have a perfectly enjoyable and gooey low-stakes pop-punk record." Sort of aren't really thinking. I did have to google who Jim Adkins is, but I sort of had a feeling it would be jimmy eat world. How does one take analysis of vocals on a pop punk album seriously, anyway? Idiotic.
 
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