New Album Stream and Review
Experimental 7-piece rock ensemble, Thank You Scientist, has just welcomed their third and latest studio effort into the world – Terraformer is out today on Evil Ink Records. Take a listen here or wherever you get your music. It has been nearly three year's since the band's last release, and critics and fans can agree it was well worth the wait. Terraformer is a two-disc exploration of sonically boundless music, where jazz meets experimental rock, and the septet operates much like a small orchestral ensemble. "Terraformer" expounds on genre blending compositions all the while maintaining a unique sound. One of the stand out tracks on Terraformer is without a doubt FXMLDR, the blisterin' saxophone solo brings everything to a higher level. After hearing this new album I am eager to go back and listen to TYS's earlier releases. The metal influence on this album is mostly subtle but ever present. It's very satifying to hear all of the sounds I love in music together in one piece. The obvious jazz influence melds consistently with all other genres represented instead of focusing on one aspect of a genre for too long TYS evens everything out and forms a cohesion unlike any other band I can recall making.
The similarities between Thank You Scientist and one of my favorite ska bands Five Iron Frenzy are impeccable. I liken TYS to a more refined version of FIF. If Five Iron Frenzy was a proggy, math rock leaning indie band instead of a ska band it would sound exactly like TYS. In comparing TYS and FIF, I first took notice of how similar the vocalists sound to each other, then I took notice of how energetic the horn section is. The horns are lively and bright as opposed to being subdued and used only for background effects like some prog bands do, which is a very nice accompaniment. I give this album 4.8 out of 5 stars, it's very well thought out and executed, perhaps so well planned that any hint of spontaneity is consumed by the overall solid structure of the foundation. This is why this record leans more towards prog than math rock which is what I'm more into, but I'm sure that's what they were going for. I can't complain about much on this album, I am enjoying it a great deal. Founded by guitarist and bandleader Monda, Thank You Scientist self-released the Perils of Time Travel EP in 2011, before signing with Claudio Sanchez's (of Coheed and Cambria) label Evil Ink Records. Their 2012 full-length debut, Maps of Non-Existent Places made it onto the Billboard Hard Rock and Heatseekers charts, and was eventually named “Album of the Week” by Revolver Magazine in 2014. They followed up in 2016 with Stranger Heads Prevail, which cracked the Billboard Top 200. In addition to Monda and vocalist Salvatore Marrano, the bandʼs lineup includes violinist Ben Karas, bassist Cody McCorry, drummer Joe Fadem, trumpeter Joe Gullace and saxophonist Sam Greenfield. How they perform as a septet mimics what could be expected of a highly-technical jazz ensemble, but with the utilization of modern rock instrumentation, something socially enticing and wholly unique is achieved. For Terraformer, the band even enlisted a string quartet with two additional violins, a cello, and a viola to further fill out their vision. The instrumentation is even globally influenced, utilizing Chinese Classical instruments like the shamisen, guzheng harp and erhu, and a Greek string instrument known as the bouzouki. Electronic elements are achieved using synthesizers, electronic drum pads, a theremin and an EWI (electronic wind instrument). The album's 13 tracks take the listener on a journey from start to finish. Many songs exceed the 8-minute mark, and each is a rock opera in its own right, though-composed and intricately orchestrated. Lyrics explore the existential crises of being human but also discuss otherworldly themes such as alien invasions. Thank You Scientist has spent the past several years touring internationally, both as headliners and as direct support for acts such as Coheed and Cambria, Periphery, Haken, Protest the Hero, the Devin Townsend Project, and Tim Allen. However, their genre bounds far exceed what is traditionally considered to be that of a Prog Rock band. Thank You Scientist is currently touring in support of Terraformer and a full list of their upcoming appearances, including this fall's tour of the UK, can be found below. Tickets and more information on the release are available via the band's website: thankyouscientist.com
