by Kurt Morris

Thursday displays a peerless version of the emo sound for a music scene that may not be ready for what the band has to offer. Full Collapse starts out with a warm, daydreamt piece, "Understanding in a Car Crash," that might give listeners a feeling that they are listening to a more modern, upbeat version of the Cure. While generating intelligent music, Thursday does its best to skirt the line of emo-pop without being unexciting or blasé. The key to this possibility lies behind the music that Thursday creates. Lead singer Geoff Rickly's vocals are smooth yet not immature, strong while not being overbearing. Icy sharp backup screams catch the listener off guard. The melodic-to-crunchy guitars followed by the well-engineered drum sound and rhythmic bass only add to the fray. Tracks such as "Cross Out the Eyes" lull the listener with the thought that Thursday may be another in a long line of monotonous emo-pop bands; however, at the appropriate moment the guitars start to feedback and the screams kick in. Taking emocore up a notch, Thursday is not afraid to develop a sound that the independent music scene has been in favor of for quite some time. Full Collapse is a breath of fresh air and has the potential to be liked by fans of harder music everywhere.