The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV

The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth is the sixth studio album by American rock band Thrice. It consists of the final two volumes of The Alchemy Index, a four-disc concept album that was split between two releases, the first in October 2007 and the second in April 2008. The band originally planned to release four discs at once, each disc with six tracks representing one of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. A blog titled The Alchemy Index chronicled the album's progress for fans. The artwork for the album was designed by Dustin Kensrue.

This article is about the second two discs of The Alchemy Index. For the first two discs, see The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II.
The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth
Studio album by
Thrice
ReleasedApril 15, 2008
RecordedSeptember 2006 – June 2007
StudioTeppei Teranishi's home, Orange Country, California
GenreAir: Atmospheric rock
Earth: Americana, folk, roots rock
LengthAir: 24:14
Earth: 20:54
Total: 45:16
LabelVagrant
ProducerThrice, Teppei Teranishi
Thrice chronology
The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II
(2007)		 The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth
(2008)		 Live at the House of Blues
(2008)
Singles from The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV
  1. "Come All You Weary"
    Released: March 4, 2008

Composition

Both discs utilized acoustic guitars, synthesizers, piano and vocal harmonies.[1] Many of the songs across both discs are anchored by Kensrue's voice, as little additions are heard from drummer Riley Breckenridge or bassist Eddie Breckenridge; percussion is heard on five of the 12 tracks. Briefs instances of distorted guitar parts are featured, however, they are predominantly replaced by clean guitar sounds.[2]

Vol. III: Air

Vol. III: Air is a guitar-focused[3] atmospheric rock[4] release, alongside acoustic and up-tempo rock tracks.[2] The disc's overall atmosphere recalled the Appleseed Cast and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (2006)-era Brand New,[5] utilizing reverb and delay frequently.[6] Kensrue said the disc was a summary of the other three discs;[7] it featured some stripped-down material, electronic tracks, and full-band songs.[8] Eddie Breckenridge cited artists he was listening to at the time as inspiration for the disc, namely Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Rós, and the Mercury Program.[9] "Broken Lungs" is a mid-tempo track with delayed guitar parts,[10] alongside bell chimes and a glockenspiel. Riley Breckenridge uses different drum tones and electronic drums.[11] The bridge section sees Kensrue switching from screaming to a falsetto within a few seconds.[12]

"The Sky Is Falling" is a pop rock song, which talks about the fallout of the September 11 attacks.[3] It employs a number of effects, such as feedback, hammer-ons and echo-filled guitar work.[11] "A Song for Milly Michaelson" is a minimalistic track with a repetitive guitar part and gentle vocals from Kensrue,[11] which recalled Pedro the Lion frontman David Bazan.[3] Gusts of wind are heard and build, alongside a reverb-hampered piano line.[11] "Daedalus" discusses the Greek figure of the same name and his son Icarus. It has several bending guitar parts,[5] and showcases Kensrue's aggressive vocal ability.[10] It is a post-hardcore track, and was reminiscent of A Types (2004) and Magnetic North (2007)-era Hopesfall.[11] "As the Crow Flies" sees Kensrue whispering throughout it, repeating the line "Fly over me";[13] it is followed by "Silver Wings", which incorporates the use of a breakbeat alongside organic drums.[11]

Vol. IV: Earth

Vol. IV: Earth is an Americana,[11][14] folk[5][11][14][15][16] and roots rock[10] release, inspired by soul music.[10] It featured stripped-down, acoustic instrumentation,[2] such as banjos, tambourines, piano, acoustic guitars, horns and upright bass.[7] It channelled a mix of Bob Dylan, the National, Led Zeppelin and Murder by Death.[11] The disc drew comparisons to Kensrue's debut solo album Please Come Home (2007);[5][12] one track he planned to include on his solo album made its way onto the earth disc.[17] "Moving Mountains" sees Kensrue rehash 1 Corinthians 13, which talks negatively of any act that lacks love.[3] The blues-indebted guitar work utilizes hammer-ons and pull-offs, backed by arpeggios.[11] "Digging My Own Grave" sees the earth as being the figure of death for a man living a chaotic life. It encapsulates the man's fear of his lifestyle being his own demise.[2] Donia Lee contributes additional vocals to the track,[18] which also features woodwind instrumentation and finger snapping. Kensrue's vocals sit atop a jazz-esque piano progression.[11]

The band covered the Frodus song "The Earth Isn't Humming", which they turned into a slow-tempo country-esque track, complete with banjos.[5] "The Lion and the Wolf" consists of solely a piano and Kensrue's vocals.[19] "Come All You Weary" uses the earth as a metaphor to unite the human race, and sets up unanimity among one another.[2] It features an organ, against a repetitive acoustic guitar chord progression.[11] For "Child of Dust", the group put a microphone in a coffin and buried it in full-funeral style. The track becomes muffled over time, eventually closes with the sound of shovels clinking into dirt and rocks.[5] It features backing vocals from Aushua, Nick Bogardus, Brent Kredel and Brett Williams,[18] alongside trumpets and a repetitive piano line.[11]

Release

The first half, The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water, was released on October 16, 2007. On January 25, 2008, The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth was announced for release in April. In February, the group went on a headlining Canadian tour with support from Say Anything and Attack in Black.[20] "Come All You Weary" was made available for streaming through the group's Myspace profile on February 29,[21] before being released as a single on March 4. It featured an acoustic version of "The Whaler", a remix of "Digital Sea", and the music video for said track.[22] Later that month, "Broken Lung" was posted on their Myspace on March 28.[21]

The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth was made available for streaming on their Myspace on April 11,[21] before being released on April 15. To promote its release, the group went on a US tour with Circa Survive and Pelican.[20] On May 5, the band appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. A music video was released for "Come All You Weary" on July 31, which was followed by a UK and European tour in August[23] In October and November, the band supported Rise Against on their headlining tour of the US.[24] A live album, recorded in May, titled Live at the House of Blues was released in December.[25] A Legion of Doom remix of "Broken Lung" appeared on the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans soundtrack in January 2009.[26]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
BillboardFavorable [28]
Melodic[10]
Metal.de7/10[1]
Ox-Fanzine8/10[19]
PopMattersFavorable[3]
Punknews.org[5]
Rock Hard10/10[29]
Sputnikmusic4/5 [11]
Ultimate Guitar9.7/10[2]

The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200, selling 21,400 copies in its first week.[30] It charted on three other component charts: number 1 on Independent Albums,[31] number 4 on Alternative Albums[32] and Top Rock Albums.[33] Outside of the US, it reached number 13 in Canada,[34] and number 140 in the UK.[35]

Track listing

All music by Thrice, all lyrics by Dustin Kensrue.[18]

Vol III: Air
No.TitleLength
1."Broken Lungs"4:14
2."The Sky Is Falling"4:21
3."A Song for Milly Michaelson"5:07
4."Daedalus"6:00
5."As the Crow Flies"2:22
6."Silver Wings"2:10
Total length:24:14
Vol IV: Earth
No.TitleLength
1."Moving Mountains"2:55
2."Digging My Own Grave"3:04
3."The Earth Isn't Humming" (Frodus cover)4:58
4."The Lion and the Wolf"2:42
5."Come All You Weary"4:08
6."Child of Dust"3:09
Total length:20:54

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[18]

Charts
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 13
UK Albums Chart[35] 140
US Billboard 200[36] 17
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[32] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] 4
gollark: &scp-055
gollark: &deploy counterbeemetics
gollark: &release apioforms
gollark: &helpme
gollark: Oh, wait.

References
  1. "Thrice - The Alchemy Index - Air And Earth" (in German). Metal.de. May 19, 2008. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. UG Team (April 16, 2008). "The Alchemy Index, Vols. 3 & 4: Air & Earth review by Thrice". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  3. Macintosh, Dan (June 17, 2008). "Thrice: The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV". PopMatters. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  4. Sacher, Andrew (September 7, 2017). "A Brief History of Emo Bands Making Art Rock". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  5. Shultz, Brian (July 22, 2008). "Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Volumes III & IV: Air & Earth". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. Matera, Joe (May 24, 2008). "Thrice: 'To Give People Too Many Songs At Once Was A Little Too Much'". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. "Thrice gets in touch with its elements on its new project". Orange County Register. October 15, 2007. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  8. Bautts, Jonathan (November 6, 2007). "Thrice". Jonathan Bautts. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  9. Alchemyindex (October 24, 2007). The Alchemy Index (6/10). Event occurs at 0:35–41. – via YouTube.CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. Spinelli, Tom (March 29, 2008). "Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV". Melodic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  11. Greer, Nick (June 19, 2008). "Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV (album review 6)". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  12. Bhatt, Roshan (April 15, 2008). "Album Review: Ambitious 'Index' complete". The Daily Cougar. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  13. Stitt, Brian (April 22, 2008). "Review: Thrice – "The Alchemy Index Vol. III & IV"". Student Life. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. Luke J (January 20, 2009). "Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. 3 & 4". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  15. Tognazzini, Anthony. "The Alchemy Index: Vol. 3 & 4: Air & Earth - Thrice - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  16. Fadroski, Kelli Sky (June 7, 2012). "Interview: Thrice says farewell … for now". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  17. Guyre, Jen (May 2, 2007). "Interview with Thrice: Sonnets, Alchemy And The Lash". The Aquarian Weekly. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  18. The Alchemy Index Vols. III & VI: Air & Earth (sleeve). Thrice. Vagrant Records. 2008. VRUK071CD.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. Wessel, Lauri (April–May 2008). "Reviews : Thrice / The Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4: Air & Earth". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  20. "Articles containing 'Thrice' (page 15)". Vagrant Records. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  21. "Articles containing 'Thrice' (page 14)". Vagrant Records. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  22. "Come All You Weary - Single by Thrice". iTunes. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  23. "Articles containing 'Thrice' (page 13)". Vagrant Records. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  24. "Rise Against announce fall tour routing". Alternative Press. July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  25. "Articles containing 'Thrice' (page 12)". Vagrant Records. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  26. "Articles containing 'Thrice' (page 11)". Vagrant Records. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  27. "The Alchemy Index, Vol. III & IV: Air and Earth by Thrice". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  28. Titus, Christa L. "The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  29. Weber, Volkmar (April 16, 2008). "Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV - Air & Earth". Rock Hard (in German). Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  30. Harris, Chris (April 23, 2008). "Mariah Carey's E=MC2 Rockets To Billboard #1, Sets Career Record". MTV. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  31. "Thrice Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  32. "Thrice Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  33. "Thrice Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  34. "Thrice Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  35. "Chart Log UK: DJ T–Tzant"". Zobbel. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  36. "Thrice Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  • Alchemy Index - Thrice's video documentary on the recording process of the album.
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