lambchops's Full Review: The Thorns [Limited] by The Thorns
From the beginning, The Thorns were destined to be one of two things—a resoundingly beautiful success or a miserably embarrassing failure. There’s no grey area when it comes to all-star ventures, and The Thorns clearly fall into the former category based solely on the excellence of their music and disregarding the quality of the names. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the album flawless, but it is nonetheless excellent.
It would be easy to just brush aside The Thorns as a manufactured “superband.” It would be easy to say that “oh yeah, anything with Matthew Sweet is going to be great.” But truth be told, The Thorns is no more Sweet’s venture than fellow contemporary singer-songwriters Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge. The three talents when put together amount to something wonderful and unique and not at all as I’d expected. Brilliant? Nah, but gorgeous and pristine. Plus, it’s hard to not appreciate the harmonies between Sweet, Mullins, and Droge (who is the one that sounds remarkably like Tom Petty).
Released in early 2003, The Thorns is a timeless sort of folk-pop. It doesn’t reek of the overproduction all too often exploited today nor is it trendy nor is it “cool” in an MTV way. Rather, this is easy going music young and old alike can find joy in. Nothing about this album is bad per se, rather there are just some parts that drag--Now I Know, I Set the World on Fire and Dragonfly in particular do little for me especially when considering the bulk of the disc is poppy and entertaining. If there is one other very minor complaint I have, it’s that this isn’t a through-provoking release. Rather, it is meant to entertain a little else—I’m fine with that on most levels.
The Thorns are strongest early on in their album. It is with the first six songs that I find myself most impressed. Consistent, harmonic, and lovely these offerings make it clear that this is a group of guys who not only love music but love pretty music. Some days, plainly sweet music is enough for me while others it is not—and that’s why this isn’t perfect album. I guess I’d just like more meat as far as meaning and creativity are concerned. That is really as much as I can give as far as criticism goes.
Why? Well, I really do like The Thorns. I like the music (at least the first half of the album—it is impeccable), the singing, the harmonies, the arrangements, heck…I like most all of it regardless of any small issues I have with it creatively. The mild, easy feeling of the album kicks off with the Droge-led Runaway Feeling. As one of the songs most similar to those of Petty, it is also one of my favorites. Beautiful, languid, and summery it is the perfect starts to a good album. I Can’t Remember follows with a rousing melody and fantastic harmonies.
There is little I can say about each song. They on the whole are of the most value when taken together. Blue, an acoustic of the Jayhawks classic by the same name, is perfectly suited to the album. In fact, I much prefer it to the original—it’s evocative and almost whimsical. Though, I think the album hits its stride with a trio of outstanding songs specifically Think it Over, Thorns and my favorite of the album No Blue Sky. Thorns is in particular a departure from the rest of the material in that it is a hip, fast-paced, romp through melodic garage rock territory. No Blue Sky on the other hand is a delicate ballad which houses the best harmonies and most memorable melody of the entire album. The lyrics come easily and are delivered earnestly:
It ain't right
Feels like forever
So many changes, I stopped keeping score
But if you want me, you know where I will be
I don't get out much anymore
There's no blue sky in my town lately
Everybody looks at the ground
I've been distracted and dulled out, crazy
But the sun never looked so pretty going down
The sun never looked so pretty going down
There are a few moments toward the middle worth mentioning, but on the whole I’m most impressed by the earliest tracks. By the time the final seven happen, I get a bit of a feeling that I’ve been there and done that before. Not that they sound awful or of much less merit, but truth be told I like a tad more variety in my music. Dragonfly is a backwoods, banjo laden romp that in a way reminds me of my dear Jim White (who records this kind of music pretty much all of the time). It is dark and magical—I love it, but I think it is also a bit anticlimactic. Also fine are the upbeat, stomping Long, Sweet Summer Night and the starkly harmonic Now I Know.
I can’t imagine anybody outright hating The Thorns. It’s the kind of music that should translate brilliantly to most folks. Easy, beautiful, though not particularly challenging and waning towards the end the album is definitely worth checking out. Kudos to Sweet, Mullins, and Droge for a job well done.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Runaway Feeling
02. I Can’t Remember
03. Blue
04. Think It Over
05. Thorns
06. No Blue Sky
07. Now I Know
08. Dragonfly
09. Long, Sweet Summer Night
10. I Told You
11. Such a Shame
12. I Set the World on Fire
13. Among the Living
________________________________
Related Reviews:
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![The Thorns [Limited] by The Thorns](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/fa/8c/9c/2006741384-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.