I wouldn’t necessarily put this in the consolation spot. This is very good music. Nick Storr has a clean voice whereas Andrew Knott lays on a layer of slick drums. The acoustic guitars operated by Andrew Curtis, well, they provide the oil & lube. Cornel Ianculovici is the machinist of the group as his bass drills perfectly symmetrical holes.
By the way, they each have nicknames: Nick, Curtis, Cornel & Knotty are how these guys like to be addressed. As for the album, it just goes by John Doe.
Anyhow, this no-name album is something worth writing home about, which is kind of why I’m writing about it now. Music buffs would be missing out if they didn’t hear these elegant verses and sophisticated riffs played out. The reason why this works is because they never go overboard. Just the right amount of spit n’ polish is supplied and nothing more. While it’s accessible enough for the usual passersby’s, its intelligence is mainly meant for people who are ProgRock literate.
It’s all good but I have a couple favorites…
“Back Home” is hospitable with its simple incense, and “Can You Hear Me?” is clever how it uses the structure of an inbound voicemail message to complete its doggerel.
Individually, those were excellent whereas the five-track epic -- appropriately named “Fingerprints” for its early and reprised refrain -- was awesome when combined into one piece.
Forgoing the progressive for a second, this music brings back those halcyon days of house parties listening to Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and Collective Soul.
Like those legendary bands of the post-grunge era, these guys quite literally rock. Aside from the drummer, each shares in the vocal duties; still, even Knotty contributes that occasional strained verse.
One minute it’s Ray Wilson’s Stiltskin; the next it’s Kevin Gilbert’s Shaming of the True. It flip-flops between Pineapple Thief and Porcupine Tree. Likewise, it ebbs and flows with Orphan Projects and Pink Floyd. In addition to all that, a Dream Theater influence can be heard now and then. They control both the horizontal and the vertical. They are fine whether they cross the line into heavy subject matter or take us back into the light.
Third Ending has landed somewhere in that crack between popular and alternative. Whether they are in or out with the cool & beautiful people, they’d be considered special in my clique. This is one heck of an album, and I am thoroughly impressed.
I’m not sure I understand The Third Ending’s numbering system; starting with their name. They commence with “Eleven” and “Part V” is towards the end. As for my class structure, I grade on a curve and only have few aces to show. Yet, they managed to coast into that upper caste. With some conceptual material in their future (and I surely hope there is more), they just might join the ranks of other star pupils after school and earn one of those limited, coveted spots on a very rockin’ squad.
9/10
