Dustin Kensrue
Please Come Home
Equal Vision
Thrice underwent a face lift on their last release, Vheissu, turning on their screamo roots and going for a more Radiohead-ish sound. Continuing on his musical journey, Dustin Kensrue explores rockabilly, folk and country music this time around. The Thrice front man has made his Johnny Cash record. Like Mike Ness before him, he has put his plugged-in band on hold in order to get out his quieter thoughts acoustically. What has emerged is a stripped-down disc that allows his voice and his strumming to be heard, unencumbered.
I can imagine Dustin Kensrue sifting through his record collection –alone in his room with a beat up guitar and a spiral notebook– sketching out ideas that he probably never thought would be heard, being that they are so un-Thrice. “I Believe” is a gorgeous tune whose familiar chords are taken straight from The Beach Boys’ “California Girls.” One of the stongest songs, “Blood & Wine,” is straight-up Sun Records, in the days of Cash and Elvis. Other songs are shaded with Lucero, Ryan Adams and even a little Neil Diamond. Influences fly and he grabbed from them to see what sticks.
Please Come Home demonstrates that Kensrue does not need to wail to be heard, and while this collection does not demand a departure from Thrice, it does add color to an already decorated songwriter. And it does demand a solo tour.
Equal Vision Records: http://www.equalvision.com
