The Artist in the Ambulance

In June 2000, Thrice released their debut album Identity Crisis through independent label Greenflag Records.[1] Sometime afterwards, Louis Posen of Sub City Records took interest in them and re-issued the album.[2] The band's second album, the Brian McTernan-produced The Illusion of Safety, followed in February 2002.[2] Prior to this, Island Records' A&R member Robert Stevenson was drawn to Thrice and saw them at the Chain Reaction venue in California.[3] Soon afterwards, the band began drawing attention from major labels, such as Capitol, Columbia and MCA Records.[4][5] In February and March 2002, the group went on tour with Anti-Flag; before or after every show on the tour, Thrice had a meeting with someone from one of those labels.[6][7] Around this time, the band was also being courted by music mogul Rick Rubin.[8] The members of Thrice liked that Stevenson had an appreciation for the punk rock scene, as he had grown up listening to New York hardcore bands, and had previously signed Rival Schools.[9]

Their manager Nick Bogardus spent time at Time Bomb Recordings, which helped him get in contact with Epic Records A&R member Pete Giberga.[10] Giberga, who was also into New York hardcore, said that while Epic had no interest in signing Thrice, he acted as an adviser to Bogardus and the band on which A&R people was and was not worth their time talking to.[11] In June 2002, the band signed to Island Records,[12] and formally announced the signing the following month.[13] Their recording contract was intended to last for up to three albums.[14] Vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue said they "felt it was the right move" for the band and would allow them to "make better music and be on the road more".[15] That same month, the band spent time at home writing material for their next album.[13] The band then appeared on the main stage at Warped Tour, before playing club shows in October and November 2002.[13][16]

Thrice were adamant about working with McTernan again, as they highly enjoyed working with him on The Illusion of Safety.[17] Drummer Riley Breckenridge said the band did not have much time to write new material post-The Illusion of Safety as they were constantly on tour.[18] They were under pressure to come up with new songs, only having brief ideas by this point, and were given two months to write for their upcoming major label debut.[19] McTernan flew out to visit the band to do pre-production across various lock-outs in Southern California to work on material.[20] They wanted to expand their musical palette, but were unable to experiment due to the rushed nature of the process.[21] Drums were recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York for two weeks with engineer Michael Barbiero and Pro Tools operator Matt Squire; Bill Synan assisted the pair.[22][23]

Thrice then went to Salad Days Studios in Beltsville, Maryland to record the rest of the instruments.[22][24] They were here for six weeks across March and April 2003.[8][25][26] Kensrue had a few disagreements with McTernan over lyrics, as he felt "really maxed out" while in the studio since he wrote most of them there. Having no time to rest, whenever he came up with a lyric, McTernan "would know that it wasn't the best I could do, and he would tell me".[27] Guitarist Teppei Teranishi said they spent more time on structuring their songs as they used to "just throw songs together" previously.[15] Thrice struggled to record guitars to "Under a Killing Moon" because of issues with tuning, resulting in them re-doing the guitars.[28]

According to McTernan, they added a megaphone to the second verse of "All That's Left" "literally 10 minutes before we had to fed-ex the song to be mixed".[29] The strings on "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts" and "The Melting Point of Wax" were recorded at Phase Studios in College Park, Maryland. Charlie Barnett arranged and conducted the session, which consisted of Marcio Bothello (cello), Osman Kivrak (viola), Teri Lazar (violin), Chris Shieh (violin) and Greg Watkins (double bass). Andy Wallace mixed the recordings at Soundtrack studios in New York City with assistance from Steve Sisco and Pro Tools operator Josh Wilbur. Howie Weinberg mastered the recordings at Masterdisck in New York City.[22] Two extra songs, "Motion Isn't Meaning" and "Eclipse", were recorded during the sessions, but left off the finished album.[30]

Musically, The Artist in the Ambulance has been classified as melodic hardcore[31][32] and post-hardcore,[33] with elements of indie rock.[34] It drew comparison to Blindside.[35] Jon Wiederhorn of MTV said the album mixed together thrash metal, hardcore punk, emo and pop punk, "often within a single song."[36] Teranishi called The Illusion of Safety the "anti-verse-chorus-verse record"; for The Artist in the Ambulance, they "realized that if something’s good, it might be worth bringing back a second time".[37] The album's title was inspired by the book Burn Collector by Al Burian. Kensrue said it was "basically asking the question, 'Do we, as artists, have the responsibility to do something more than ... entertain?'"[36] The Artist in the Ambulance opens with "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts", an aggressive track that showcases Teranishi's guitarwork and Kensrue's vocals.[38] It was the result of blending two separate songs together; Teranishi said the "spooky" section, which refers to the part with strings and palm muted guitars, was initially played on guitar enhanced by an auto-volume delay pedal. They switched it to a heavier version that was reminiscent of the work of Isis, before settling on the final version. McTernan felt Barnett's string section "really took it over the top", with the instruments doubling the sound of the palm mutes. Bassist Eddie Breckenridge originally wrote the track's 5/4 section as part of an aborted 10-minute track. They attempt to put the section in every track unsuccessfully, before leaving it in this one.[39]

"Under a Killing Moon" mixed hardcore stylings with indie rock, switching between older forms of metal to hard rock.[34][32] The band wanted another heavy track; Teranishi came up with the verse guitar riff during a practice session. The song's ending guitar riff was slower in tempo, as it had been played to a slow beat from Riley Breckenridge, and was later sped up and incorporated into the track. Both riffs were influenced by sound of Killswitch Engage, as Teranishi was listening to that band on the days he wrote the parts. The lyrics initially worked well with melodic chord progressions, but did not pan out when the band worked on the song during a practice session. Kensrue then decided to scream the words, which he felt worked better with the final song.[28] The band had wanted to experience with more traditional song structures with The Artist in the Ambulance; "All That's Left" was the result of that. Its chorus section bordered on space-esque progressive rock, before being reworked.[29] Kensrue redid the lyrics for the song around eight times, and said the final version talks about the "strength we have in our youth and the things we trade for that".[36][29] The vocal harmonies on the track were reminiscent of those heard in P.O.D. songs.[34]

"Silhouette" features a section Kensrue wrote in 7/7 time, which Eddie Breckenridge attempted to emulate. His part was in 13/8 and had to be re-edited to keep in time with Kensrue's part, facilitating the addition of extra notes. Its lyrics originated from the band's first ever tour, and were sent by Kensrue to his girlfriend on the back of a postcard. He wrote them on a painting he did he for her, and later reworked them into "Silhouette".[40] The bassline in "Stare at the Sun" was initially written in a more mathy, chaotic metal style that Teranishi tried to merge with "The Abolition of Man", before spinning it off into its own track. The drums were originally being played in 4/4 time at 5/7 intervals, before it was simplified to allow Kensrue to sing over. As a result of this, the bridge section they had had to be scrapped, and a new one was written in its place.[41] The beginning of "Paper Tigers" came from jamming between Eddie and Riley Breckenridge after the rest of the band would leave following practice sessions. In its original form, the song was a metal and hardcore punk track, which was then merged with another part that became its final chorus section. Kensrue wrote the lyrics for a piano song that was ultimately scrapped, and added them to "Paper Tigers" instead towards the end of recording.[42] "Hoods on Peregrine" is the combination of guitar riff Kensrue wrote in a during practice, a 1970s-like bass part from Eddie Breckenridge, and a guitar riff Kensrue wrote during one of the coldest nights he had witnessed while in Omaha, Nebraska. Discussing the lyrics, Kensrue said when writing The Artist in the Ambulance the "media was out of control. Don't take anything at face value cause everyone's got an agenda".[43]

"The Melting Point of Wax" was the first song the band wrote after the release of The Illusion of Safety; Riley Breckenridge wrote the chorus section on an acoustic guitar. He was not keen on how the track sounded with added distortion, and felt that Barnett's strings help fill it out in places where he though "there were voices missing". It went through 12 different variations prior to settling on the final one, which included verses in 5/4 time.[44] According to Kensrue, it was a response to people "bitching at us for decisions" they made in the previous year.[31] It is a re-telling of the Icarus mythology.[45] "Blood Clots and Black Holes" is an amalgamation of various riffs from Teranishi and Breckenridge, and was the second song written following The Illusion of Safety.[46] "The Artist in the Ambulance", like its album namesake, was influenced by Burn Collector, which Kensrue would read while at Starbucks.[47] He explained that discussed comparing "The Artist" and "The Ambulance" as concepts, and the "different roles they play and what contribution they make in life".[48] "The Abolition of Man" was one of the heaviest tracks on The Artist in the Ambulance, incorporating multiple time signatures, and Arabian-esque guitar riffs.[32][49] It was named after the C. S. Lewis book of the same name; it initially had the working title of "Hot Water Metal" due to its anthemic first verse. Teranishi said his guitar parts were influence by the early releases of Converge.[50] "Don't Tell and We Don't Ask", the album's closing track, is the accumulation of ideas scrapped from other songs on the album. The drums in the chorus were adapted from those in the intro to "Paper Tigers". [51]

In April and May 2003, the band went on tour with the Used. During this tour, the band performed new material, and appeared at Skate and Surf Fest.[25][52] On April 5, 2003, The Artist in the Ambulance was announced for release in three months' time.[53] Over the course of the next two months, the band participated in the Deconstruction Tour, which visited various European countries.[54] "Under a Killing Moon" was posted on the band's website on May 10, 2003, and the album's track listing was posted three days later.[55][56] "All That's Left" was released to alternative radio on June 17,[57] and two days later, the album's artwork was posted online.[58] Between late June and early August 2003, the band appeared on the Warped Tour.[59] Breckenridge sustained a back injury, which prompted the band to play several of the shows acoustically.[60] "Under a Killing Moon" was released on a split 7" vinyl single with "For the Workforce, Drowning" by Thursday on July 1, 2003.[61] A music video for "All That's Left", directed by the Workshop, premiered through MTV a week later.[62]

Initially planned for release on July 15, 2003, The Artist in the Ambulance was released through Island Records on July 22, 2003.[25][63] A limited edition version of the album was also released featuring special artwork, lyrics and details about each track.[64] Five percent of the sales from the album were donated to a charitable cause, which was Syrentha J. Savio Endowment.[22][15] The organization provides chemotherapy and other medication for those who cannot afford it.[55] Thrice had previously donated money to charities while on Sub City, and when they were being courted by major labels, they made it clear that it was something they wished to continue. The president of Island Records had previously founded a charity and was supportive of the band's endeavours.[48] Around the release, the band signed in-store signings.[62] On August 21, 2003, the band appeared on The Late Late Show.[65] For the rest of the month, the band performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK, before embarking on a European tour supporting Rancid and Alkaline Trio.[36] On September 18, 2003, the band performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live.[66]

In October 2003, they embarked on a UK tour, which led into a North American tour with Thursday and Coheed and Cambria that ran into November 2003.[67][68] Two weeks of this tour was headlined by the Deftones.[36] The music video for "Stare at the Sun" was released on November 12, 2003.[69] It was directed by Brett Simon, and features use of a photocopy machine, which Simon says is done to "illustrate a search for meaning and knowledge".[70] The song was released to alternative radio on November 18, 2003.[57] The band wanted "The Artist in the Ambulance" as the second single instead, but the label pushed for "Stare at the Sun".[71] The label asked radio station program directors for input, all of whom pointed to "Stare at the Sun".[72] In December 2003, the band performed at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas festival.[73] In February 2004, the band toured Japan, before embarking on an Australian tour with Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music.[74] Following this, the band toured Europe with Coheed and Cambria and Vaux.[75] In March and April 2004, the band embarked on a US tour with Poison the Well, Darkest Hour, and Moments in Grace.[76] In May and June 2004, the band supported Dashboard Confessional on the Honda Civic Tour.[77] The band then appeared on Warped Tour for a third time.[78]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[33]
Blender	[79]
Cross Rhythms	[34]
IGN	9/10[32]
laut.de	[80]
Melodic	[35]
Rolling Stone	[81]
Sputnikmusic	4/5[82]

The Artist in the Ambulance was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Johnny Loftus complimented McTernan for "tighten[ing] the seams that hold together Thrice's patchwork print of post-hardcore bellow, emotional bluster, and unabashed metal wankery". He saw it as the band's strongest work to date..[33] Cross Rhythms writer Dustin Helgeson said that it was "a record worthy of their big label, mainstream distribution", with the band providing "hope amidst suffering with 'The Artist In The Ambulance'".[34] Nick Madsen of IGN said the band's tendencies to "lean more towards the melodic" gave them "much more focused songs". He considered it the "perfect evolution of Thrice's past material" as the "direction of the music and the delivery of the actual songs have improved three-fold".[32] Sputnikmusic staff member Damrod was surprised "anew by the nice basslines", as well as the use of "octaves, unvonventional patterns, excellent fills". He summarised it as saying the band's "musicianship is on a high level, the instrumental use as well as the lyrics".[82] Melodic webmaster Johan Wippsson wrote that the band provided "a bunch of great songs that just smashes you in the face with power and raw energy".[35]

Jasamine White-Gluz of Exclaim! similarly said "sounds better than ever", managing to "hang on to their signature melody-based songwriting".[49] PopMatters contributor Christine Klunk found it to be "more than just three chords, lots of guttural screaming, and heavy-handed drumming" as it offers "12 surprisingly varied tracks".[38] Jens Brüggemann for laut.de added to this, stating that the tempo shifts in the "individual tracks ensure liveliness", with melodies that showcase the album's complex nature.[80] CMJ New Music Report's Amy Sciarretto wrote that the band sounded like a mix of Face to Face, Metallica and Thursday "somehow manag[ing] to pull the feat off — without resulting in an unlistenable mess of music".[83] Billboard reviewer Bram Teitelman expressed a similar statement, saying that it "at times sounds like Iron Maiden, Bad Religion and Rush jamming (which sounds a lot better on disc than it looks on paper)".[84] John Wiederhorn of Blender wrote that "[s]omehow, all these stylistic variations don’t disrupt the music’s flow, which rocks as hard as it aches".[79] Rolling Stone writer Marie Elsie St. Leger said that while the rest of the band "ably create a close facsimile of existential rage," Kensrue's words, which were "sharp, sometime political [...] and even allegorical", typically got "lost in the screams".[81]

Prior to release, 100k copies of The Artist in the Ambulance had been shipped to stores; it sold 47,500 copies in its first week of release.[62][85] By July 2006, it had sold 391,000 copies in the US.[86] The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it their first album to do so.[87] It topped the Top Internet Albums chart.[88] Outside of the US, it reached number 109 on the main UK Albums Chart and number nine on the UK Rock Albums Charts.[89][90] "All That's Left" peaked at number 24 on Alternative Airplay,[91] number 36 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and number 37 on Active Rock.[92][93] "Stare at the Sun" peaked at number 39 on Alternative Airplay.[91] Orange County Register ranked it at number five on their list of the "10 best albums of the ’00s".[94] NME included the album on their list of the "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time".[95]

All music by Thrice. Lyrics by Dustin Kensrue. All recordings produced by Brian McTernan.[22]

Personnel per booklet.[22]

Citations

Sources

• The Artist in the Ambulance at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)