July 27, 2001
FULL COLLAPSE
By DARRYL STERDAN

FULL COLLAPSE
Thursday
(Victory/Koch)

So many punk and emo bands have three speeds -- fast, insanely fast and sofastyoucan'teventellwhatthey'resaying.

Not Thursday.

This New Jersey emo quintet understand power and passion can't necessarily be measured by a tachometer.

Their second album Full Collapse has plenty of the hallmarks you expect from emo: Chiming guitars, cacophonous noise, anguished vocals, propulsive rhythms, primal screams.

It also has a few breath-of-fresh-air surprises, like some impressive songwriting and ear-catching arrangements that kinda remind you of At the Drive-In.

But what really set Thursday apart from the monotonous punk legions for us was their control of tempo -- by balancing tension and release, they maximize the impact of their songs. And manage to avoid sounding like their van is double-parked.

Track Listing 1. A0001
2. Understanding In A Car Crash
3. Concealer
4. Autobiography Of A Nation
5. A Hole In The World
6. Cross Out The Eyes
7. Paris in Flames
8. I Am The Killer
9. Standing on The Edge OF Summer
10. Wind-up
11. How Long Is The Night?
12. I1100