Should I Download "Beggars" - The New Album by Thrice?

Well here's the conundrum. The Album has been leaked with a watermark that features a voice over that states "You are listening to a vagrant records advance promotional stream" Now I won't weigh in on the morality of downloading it, 'cause lets face it music downloads are pretty much free now a days. You know what side of the argument you are on, and you either download free stuff or you purchase through i-tunes, amazon, etc. I was curious, so I gave Beggars a listen to try it on for size. Now before I say if its good or not I want you all to step back in time. Get the Delorian prepped for anywhere in the years of 2001 - 2003.

Do you remember what Thrice sounded like? Well they sounded a whole lot like Thrice. Then Came Vheissu which, while really good, started to slip onto just emulating other bands, and the same kinda goes for the alchemy index. All good Albums but it just wasn't that sound that you fell in love with in the first place. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe just a change of taste, but I don't find myself wanting to listen to anything Thrice have put out past 2003. Now we get to Beggars.
Answer these Questions Four

1. Do you like Muse?
2. Do you like Coldplay?
3. Do you like mid tempo modern rock a la Red Hot Chili Peppers?
4. Can you forget what Thrice used to sound like?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you will love the new Thrice cd. Once again they have released a solid record, but that's all it is. It doesn't stand out. It just exists.
So if you can't wait to hear it and are not opposed to getting it before its release date, then go for it. If you just want to know what it sounds like, then maybe wait, you won't be missing anything groundbreaking.
Mike

P.S. I listened to it twice then deleted the files.

Please send all inquiries to
MikeHasTheAnswer@gmail.com
Thank you for your time.



*Update*
August 4, 2009
I got a message from Matze regarding the "review" of Beggars.

Hi there, first of all: I commented this way, cause i have neither of the accounts i must have to comment on your site. Second: Did you listen to the watermarked or the real songs?

So, feel free to answer me. Here's my comment:


Well, listen to it AT LEAST five times. Understand the music and the lines. Listen again. You will LOVE it.

Muse is SHIT.
Coldplay is SHIT.
NEW Chili Peppers: Guess what.
Old Thrice: GREAT...but i believe in the progress of music and the ones who made it.
And Dustin, for example, is such a great person and musician...please don't ignore that.

cheers,
Matze



Reply
Hey Matze, thanks for the reply,
I've been playing and writing music for the past decade, shared the stage with Thrice, and Teppei even helped record one of my old bands albums. They are some of the coolest people I have ever met. I am not dissing the new album as you could see I wrote that it is a solid album, it is right up there with Vheissu. It just seems like they are trying to hard. I will listen to it more when the thing is actually released, as I just feel weird listening to albums that aren't out yet. I heard the actual songs, the songs just had a 3 second long warning message embedded in them, it really didn't take away from anything. Vheissu grew on me the more I listened, and I see Beggarrs doing the same but I don't see it surpassing any more than that.

Also Muse is not shit, well at least Absolution was not shit
Coldplay is the same, they are great musicians, a rush of blood... was a great album
Chili Peppers are hit and miss but can produce some gems
Old Thrice is great.

Don't take me wrong, progression is great, but is it progression if its nothing new? This album is a lot like Vheissu just a tad less Tool and a bit more Muse. Like it or not I guarantee they listened to Absolution a shit ton when it came out. All you need to do is take out the keyboards.

So just to recap, like I said before, it is a solid album, but its not gonna be anything that really stands out. its got some good songs, a couple of really good ones, and the rest are just, meh. On an educational grade scale, its prolly like a C+ maybe a B-, based on probability of repeated spins, catchiness, and musicianship.

Also Matze is an interesting name. I am curious about where it comes from? Are you in/from America? This is an honest question I don't think I've ever seen or heard that name before.

Thanks for banter, I enjoy it.
Please reply further.
Mike


MikeHasTheAnswer@gmail.com
Thank you for your time