Common Existence

Common Existence is the fifth full-length album from rock band Thursday.

Common Existence
Studio album by
Thursday
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2009
RecordedAugust–November 2008
StudioTarbox Road Studios
Cassadaga, New York
GenrePost-hardcore
Length44:51
LabelEpitaph
ProducerDave Fridmann
Thursday chronology
Thursday / Envy
(2008)		 Common Existence
(2009)		 No Devolución
(2011)

Recording and composition

On August 13, 2008, the band announced that they had begun recording their next album with producer Dave Fridmann, who had previously produced A City by the Light Divided (2006).[1] Recording took place at Fridmann's Tarbox Road Studios. The album was completed in November.[2]

The album includes the track "As He Climbed The Dark Mountain," which previously appeared on the band's split EP with Japanese hardcore band Envy. The song "Last Call" originates from 2005 when five demos were leaked. While the first four were released on A City by the Light Divided, "Last Call" had not been released up until now. The band explores many subjects, including marriage (”Last Call”), fatherhood (”As He Climbed the Dark Mountain”), and physical abuse (”Time’s Arrow”).[3] In an interview, Rickly explained the album's title refers to humanity's shared experience, and that many of the songs were influenced by the words of his favorite poets and authors.

Almost every song on the record is connected to a different writer. The first song, "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" is influenced by Denis Johnson's Resuscitation of a Hanged Man. Another song is based on a book Martin Amis's Time's Arrow. The whole record also has a lot of themes from Roberto Bolano, a poet who wrote The Savage Detectives and a few other things. The song "Circuits of Fever" is very influenced by [writer] David Foster Wallace.[4]

In successive interviews with Spin.com and Rock Sound, keyboard player Andrew Everding and vocalist Geoff Rickly explained the significance of "Friends in the Armed Forces":

"[The song] is about a personal experience that Geoff had with someone we know who's serving in the Iraq conflict. It can be forced down your throat to support someone who's fighting for a cause you don't believe in... We support you as people but we don't support your efforts."[5] - Andrew Everding, Rock Sound interview

"I have a close friend in the service and several others that have finished their tours... The song was inspired by my conversations with them and by my conversations with their family members. It's about the shifting of perspective when it comes to wrong and right - ultimately, the song is a wish for peace and wellbeing for my friends."[6] - Geoff Rickly, Spin.com interview

Release

On September 30, 2008, it was announced that the band had signed to independent label Epitaph Records and that their next album would be released in the spring. Rickly said one of the group's biggest concerns is that they "find a situation where we could be free to just be Thursday. Epitaph have continually voiced their desire to help us become the band that we have always wanted to be."[7] On November 18, announced that their next album would be called Common Existence and that it would be released in February 2009.[8] On December 9, "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" was post on the group's Myspace page.[9] The following day, the album's track listing was posted online.[10] On December 24, "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" was released as a single.[11] On February 3, 2009, "Friends in the Armed Forces" was posted on the band's Myspace page.[12] On February 10, "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" was released as a free download.[13] On February 12, Common Existence was made available for streaming through the band's Myspace,[14] before being released on February 17 through Epitaph Records.[15]

Between mid-February and early April, the band headlined the 2009 edition of Taste of Chaos[16] with support from Bring Me the Horizon, Four Year Strong, Pierce the Veil, Cancer Bats[17] Following this, the band toured Europe as part of the Give it a Name festival.[14] On February 18, a music video was released for "Resuscitation of a Dead Man".[18] The video features various pyrotechnics such as sparks falling around the band. Footage includes the band performing in a red room and urgent scenes of a man being rushed on a gurney. Later on, Thursday's amplifiers become engulfed in fire as well. In an interview on No. 1 Countdown, band members stated that all pyrotechnics were indeed real and frequently singed their hair. On September 15, Thursday with release a digital exclusive deluxe edition of Common Existence with five bonus tracks, the music video for "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" and a digital booklet.[19]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100 [20]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [21]
Alternative Press [22]
Drowned in Sound7/10 [23]
Entertainment WeeklyB- [24]
musicOMH [25]
PopMatters [26]
Rolling Stone [27]
Slant [28]
Spin7/10 [29]
USA Today [30]

The album so far has a score of 72 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[20] AbsolutePunk gave it an 88% and said, "Over the course of the last few years, Thursday has seemed to be the forgotten band, one we take for granted. But with Common Existence, Thursday will be knocking down doors throughout 2009."[31] Punknews.org gave it a score of four stars out of five and said, "true return to indie-dom, Common Existence is a good fit for Epitaph. Both sides prove they still know what good post-hardcore music sounds like. [...] Common Existence washes the bad taste of Sage Francis and Escape the Fate right out. The record is somehow forward-thinking, further pushing the more atmospheric approach glimpsed at on the band's split with Envy last year, yet speckled with retro stylings of previous albums.[32] Sputnikmusic also gave it four stars out of five and stated, "Just when Thursday seems to stir in unfamiliar, unwanted territory, they manage to find a way to make it happen."[33] The A.V. Club gave it a B and said it was "the band’s densest, most accomplished album to date, with sonic layers and the complexity of a big-budget record, without the bloat."[34] NME gave it a score of seven out of ten and called it "a worthy addition to Thursday’s canon."[35]

Other reviews are average, mixed or negative: Blender gave it a score of three stars out of five and said it "amps up the band’s aggro guitars, cookie-monster yells and proggy ambition."[20] Billboard gave it an average review and said it "melds the band's hardcore influences with shoegaze and atmospheric elements, with mixed results."[20] The New York Times also gave it an average review and called it "the least pungent and immediate Thursday album since its debut. In places it sounds like an experiment, sometimes a successful one."[36] Melodic.net gave it a score of one-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "one of the biggest letdowns".[37]

Track listing

All music by Thursday. All lyrics by Geoff Rickly.

  1. "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" – 3:21
  2. "Last Call" – 4:03
  3. "As He Climbed the Dark Mountain" – 3:01
  4. "Friends in the Armed Forces" – 4:10
  5. "Beyond the Visible Spectrum" – 3:59
  6. "Time's Arrow" – 4:13
  7. "Unintended Long Term Effects" – 2:18
  8. "Circuits of Fever" – 5:07
  9. "Subway Funeral" – 4:18
  10. "Love Has Led Us Astray" – 4:39
  11. "You Were the Cancer" – 5:49

Digital deluxe edition bonus tracks

  1. "Fake Nostalgia" – 3:22
  2. "Common Existence" – 3:53
  3. "The Worst Vow" – 3:14
  4. "Circuits of Fever (Innerpartysystem remix)" – 4:12
  5. "Love Has Led Us Astray (original demo)" – 3:00

Personnel

Thursday

  • Geoff Rickly – vocals
  • Tom Keeley – lead guitar, vocals
  • Steve Pedulla – rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Tim Payne – bass guitar
  • Tucker Rule – drums
  • Andrew Everding – keyboards, synthesizers, vocals

Additional Musicians

Production

  • Produced, recorded, and mixed by Dave Fridmann
  • Engineered by Dave Fridmann, Andrew Everding, Joseph Pedulla and Karla Allen
  • Mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone

Art

  • Photography by Michael Brandt, Dennis Keeley and Mike Chapman
  • Layout by Nick Pritchard

Charts
Album
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 56

References
  1. "Thursday enter studio with Dave Fridmann for next full-length". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. August 13, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  2. Dave Fridmann/Tarbox News/Notes. Archived 2016-11-16 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from Dave Fridmann's website December 11, 2008.
  3. Ambrose, Anthony. "inTuneMusic Online: Thursday - Common Existence REVIEW". Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  4. "Thursday's Geoff Rickly". SuicideGirls.com. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-09..
  5. "Thursday Upload Personal Track from Common Existence". Idiomag.com. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  6. Fitzmaurice, Larry (2009-01-26). "Exclusive First Listen: Thursday's "Armed Forces"". Spin.
  7. "AP Exclusive: Thursday sign to Epitaph; new album in spring". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. September 30, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  8. "Thursday unveil title, release date". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. November 18, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  9. "Thursday: Resuscitation of a Dead Man." Punknews.org. December 9, 2008.
  10. Roth, Kaj (December 10, 2008). "Thursday To Release New Album In February". Melodic. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  11. Spinelli, Tom (December 24, 2008). "New Thursday Track Available For Download". Melodic. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  12. "Thursday premiere "Friends In The Armed Forces"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. February 3, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  13. "Thursday's "Resuscitation Of A Dead Man" available for download". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. February 10, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  14. "Thursday announce European tour, stream Common Existence". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  15. "Thursday Post Track Listing." Absolutepunk.net. December 9, 2008.
  16. "Thursday, Bring Me The Horizon top Taste Of Chaos lineup". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. December 2, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  17. Osborn, Dallas (December 3, 2008). "Taste Of Chaos 2009 Line-Up & Dates Announced". Melodic. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  18. "Thursday reveal new video for "Resuscitation Of A Dead Man"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. February 18, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  19. Deluxe Edition of "Common Existence"
  20. Critic reviews at Metacritic
  21. Allmusic review
  22. Alternative Press review
  23. Drowned in Sound review
  24. Entertainment Weekly review
  25. musicOMH review; mislabeled as "Common Experience"
  26. PopMatters review
  27. Rolling Stone review at the Wayback Machine (archived February 8, 2009)
  28. Slant review
  29. Spin review
  30. USA Today review
  31. AbsolutePunk review
  32. Punknews.org review
  33. Sputnikmusic review
  34. The A.V. Club review
  35. NME review
  36. The New York Times review
  37. Melodic.net review
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