Thrones
Day Late, Dollar Short
6.8
Thrones, the brainchild of Joe Preston (Earth, The Melvins, High On Fire), isn't all that hot always. Presenting an array of styles - some interesting, but some sort of stupid, this latest release is a compilation of new, unreleased, and rare tracks. To his devoted followers, the stupidity will appear attractive; even cute. I theorize this is the reason people enjoy bands like Mr. Bungle and to a far lesser degree, Joe Preston's other outfit he's more commonly known for, The Melvins. But when it boils down to it, Thrones do what these acts do, only instead of coming across as quirky and interesting on the first listen, Day Late, Dollar Short generally appears sort of...well, pointless towards the beginning, but improves as the album progresses.
I'll be honest, my main dissatisfaction lies within the vocals. While I'm not asking for anything too traditional, it'd be nice if every word sung didn't sound like it was coming from some sort of satanic robot built from old vacuums. "Algol" is a shining moment on the album once you forget the gimmicky vocals and lose yourself in the typical drone backed by funeral organ, as is "Meddleman". Other times, the same formula is just sort of boring, like on the bass-driven "Senex", but once "Goal Sack" hits, I'm reminded of why I first investigated Thrones' first album, Sperm Whale. It's gritty and strange, yet confusingly catchy and compelling. "Oracle", after a minute of strange singing and light keyboard, thunders and crashes with mammoth vocals and a bizarre but almost triumphant bass melody. "Black Blade" is another track which exemplifies what Thrones are capable of - upbeat, unique, yet also fuzzed out and as heavy as you can get. I could definitely do without tracks like "Davids Lib" and "A Quick One", which just don't seem to serve much of a purpose except to draw out the playing time.
In the most basic terms, if you enjoy the eccentricity of The Melvins, Thrones will do you no wrong. To their fans, I'm sure this will be a welcomed and wholly embraced listen. More bread & butter sort of music fans probably won't get too much out of this, though. Still, it might expand your horizons in the end, which is never a bad thing in this game.
