Thunderbirds Are Now!
Make History
Frenchkiss Records 

Is it just me, or does the title of this record sound a little pretentious? Make History, hmmmm… Are Detroit’s Thunderbirds Are Now! telling us to make history, or are they claiming that they do? Well, I don’t know, and it’s not important anyway.

What is important is that this, the band’s third full length release, second for French Kiss Records, is their best yet. I guess that doesn’t really say much right now, as I didn’t like the previous two albums. But, I will admit, Make History is better. I’ll even go as far as to say that it is a pretty good record in general.

The improvements that the band has made are evident right from the start. The opening notes of “Panthers in Crime” reek of Brian Wilson (in a good way) and when the rock finally kicks in, it is easily the best song on the album. The song with the worst title, “We Win (Ha Ha),” just so happens to be another of my personal favorites. It is a perfect example of how Thunderbirds finally have grown up, perfectly merging energy with melody. The bridge part is a pleasant twist, showcasing nice harmonies from the brothers Allen (Ryan and Scott). It is simple ideas like these that have helped progress the band’s overall sound.

An added bonus is the change in drummer. No offense to previous stick slinger Mike Durgan, who’s sloppy as all hell style was appropriate for Thunderbirds at one time. But, newbie Matt Rickle puts thought into his mighty beats and adds much more depth to the songs, allowing subtle ideas like those mentioned above to flesh out. And please, for the love of all that is good, check out Rickle’s other band Javelins, namely the song “Entropy” which is on a split LP with Anathallo.

In spite of these positives found throughout the album, there is an equal amount of blunders. Some of the vocal melodies are actually quite corny. Also, the presence of Scott Allen and his synthesizers are practically nowhere to be found. He seems to have just settled into background noise, with the occasional electric piano or Moog sound.

With Make History, we find a band at the peak of its popularity. It is that time for a band to know thyselves to find thyselves. It seems like Thunderbirds are trying to figure out where exactly they want to go. And while Make History is far from perfect, it definitely has the band headed in the right direction.

Websites
http://www.thunderbirdsarenow.com
http://www.frenchkissrecords.com