(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): THANK GOD

Monday, 20 February 2017

THANK GOD

Band: THANK GOD

Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Screamo / Noise / Noise-Rock
Related artists: Antischism, .fuckingcom, Guyana Punch Line, Initial State, Burnt Books, Can’t Kids, Cube, Big & Tall and Wounded Tongue.
Country: Columbia, South Carolina USA
Years Active: 2005-2011
Song: "Ice/Age"
Album: "Ice/Age"
Year: 2010
For fans of: Racebannon, Life At These Speeds, XBXRX, Guyana Punch Line, Monarcs, A Flower Kollapsed, Deepslauter, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Kulara, Rapider Than Horsepower, Scowler, The Sun, The South, The Carnival Of Dark-Split, and (later) Bright Calm Blue.

Label(s): Exotic Fever records / Tick Tock Records / Mashnote / The Perpetual Motion Machine / Molsook Records / These Family Jaws
This post's artist is from the February 2017 Mix. This is track #9.

You can download: the February 2017 Mix#2 right here or get the new March 2017 Mix#3 here.

Review by JESSE MOWERY:

I first heard of THANK GOD in 2010 when one of my roommates back then asked if they could hop on a show I was booking. At the time Myspace was still widely used, and they had one track up, which was the title track of their new album 'Ice/Age'. I booked them based on how good it was, and was excited to see what their other material was like, but I had no clue how great they would be. Spastic rhythms, crazy dissonant guitars, and wild weird screams that flow into mesmerizing ambient sections. It took me seeing them for a second to time notice other things that made me scratch my head in wonder, like how they used capos on every song in different positions, mostly seventh fret and above, or how their vocalist used a loop station to have other screams going on at the same time as whatever else he was doing. They also were picking up the pieces to their record on tour, getting the vinyl in Nashville, and the inserts and sleeves in Chicago or something like that, which I thought was really interesting. Anyways, they’ve been one of my favorite bands since I first saw them, and while many of the members other bands’ get some praise I feel like THANK GOD is often overlooked, which is why I’m doing this.

In 2006 they put out their first release 'For Pregnant Virgins', a 6 song 15 minute long EP. This is definitely their closest thing to Guyana Punch Line, as it has many faster punky parts, but it’s still from the start a different beast altogether. Opening track “One Hand Over Yr Mouth” starts out going from spazziness to fast punk beats, with the vocals following the guitars in a way until it breaks down with the bass and drums grooving while the guitars and vocals get weirder before ending where they started. “2000 Bees Can’t Be Wrong” is probably my favorite from this release, as it encapsulates a lot of the things I really like about their stuff: weird ramblings between shouting with noisy nonsense coming from the guitars that eventually leads to a softer breakdown with the bass leading the melodies while while the guitars go on whatever tangents they want. Overall this release is a quick but fun listen that foreshadows what they were going to accomplish.

In 2007 THANK GOD released three splits, all with great bands like 'Monarcs, Deepslauter, and Tigershark'. All of these have a similar foundation, starting out with a quiet guitar thing into a heavy song and ending with a slower more melodic song, but none sound like they’re repeating themselves either. “Good Bad Guy” starts out pretty up-tempo and positive sounding until it gets to the chorus thingy, which just sounds like someone losing their mind, and breaking down into a weird melodic part. “Wasting My Breath” is slower but is one of my favorites melodically, the main guitar riff is infectious. “Goddamn Tulips” has some very noodley guitars on it and some lyrics about not having tasted scrambled eggs or something.

They released a 'split with Life At These Speeds' in 2008, with two more tracks furthering their sound away from their previous bands, adding in squawky trumpet at the beginning of “Ahh The Magical 90’s” before going into something that sounds like it’s going to fall apart at any moment but never does. “Lay Down Lula” starts out soft before going into a ¾ polka-ish beat thing that is really cool.

2010 marked the release of 'Ice/Age', an LP that would end up being their last release, but damn was it a good note to end on. The opener and title track starts with a few notes before going into a spastic melodic mess with scream/sung vocals, all while the guitars get noisier. “Chicken Dance” has some of the most nonsensical guitar playing I’ve ever heard. This is a song I could lose my mind to, but into a pit of happy insanity. There’s a lot more soft ambient/post-rockish parts on this release, with some sax thrown in on later tracks. The album ends with “Hugo Chavez”, which is one of the most blistering tracks on this, with the pace close to their earlier stuff but with the super noisy guitars that are all over this album. My words don’t do this band justice, just listen to them and decide for yourself.

I just recently found a recording of what I’m pretty sure was their last show right here, but you can get a pretty good feel for what they sounded like live.

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DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download the band's complete discography in mp3 form.

2006 - For Pregnant Virgins cdEP

2007 - Tigershark split 12"EP (buy here)