Thumb
Nitros City
© 1998 Wings Music International (634479606120)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
heavy alternative guitar rock not afraid to experiment with the style's direction
tracks
- 1 shallow grave
- 2 Wrong Way Home
- 3 Stick 2 Fingers
- 4 Jealousy
- 5 all save the day
- 6 some memory of a man
- 7 nitros city
- 8 untitled
- 9 mind my dream
- 10 ham & beef
- 11 Tired Show
- 12 how full of concern
- 13 ono
- 14 humble
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notes
THUMB hail from Perth Western Australia. A three piece band who echo the sounds of influences, bands like Budgie, Sabbath & King Crimson whilst moving forward with their own elements & expression.
NITROS CITY is their first full length CD and features fourteen new songs. THUMB like to push forward and try to do this both with their sound as well as their lyrics. They take pride in what is said in the songs as well as played.
NITROS CITY has received glowing reviews in local and national press in Australia and 2000 should see the band moving closer towards their goals. Take a ride through NITROS CITY and join the band in their adventure now before it's too late!
reviews
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- author: RenegadeReviews
Thumb- They are kind of a heavy metal/alternative band out of Austrailia. Judge: That's what I like to see in a heavy metal band, up front drums, most of the time all you can hear is the snare. Good production on this song. I found the lyrics very interesting. Overall they have a very interesting sound, almost Frank Zappa meets Black Sabbath, if you can imagine that then you can imagine Thumb. Tired Show: Wow what a cool song, there are so many cool changes in this song it really holds my interest. Not to mention the Alice in Chains/Sabbath licks which make it even more unusual. The lyrics are almost pop style, "let the TV bathe me in its rays" is one line that sticks in my head. The bridge almost goes fusion. Overall, this is a great song and my pick of the week. They have a lot of different sounds from groove to alternative to heavy metal. Check em out. http://renegadereviews.homepage.com/
- author: Andrew
Not sure if the band name was taken from the Kyuss song but although there are some Kyuss type elements that flow into their music the band from the west of this land(Australia) take influence from a much broader cross section of bands.This is highlighted as they throw in stuff that is slow and fast as well as acoustic and electric and everything in between. Shallow Grave has a "watery" sound to it like much of Tool's music but its slow pace and semi unique vocals gives it an eerie type of sound before they change the mood quite dramatically with the next track Wrong Way Home which is a more up-tempo affair.This type of roller coaster ride continues as they go from deep,dark tracks such as Stick 2 Fingers and Some Memory Of A Man that seem to have a lot more feeling and meaning than the more fun,lighter up-tempo types of tracks such as Jealousy and Mind My Dream.They do not stop with this formula though as they throw in some acoustic based tracks such as All Save The Day and some more experimental tracks like the title track Nitros City and Ham & Beef for variety's sake. All up this is a fairly diverse sounding fourteen track effort that is delivered with a very professional attitude and sound.Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for something that is a little different but not way out there,if you know what I mean. 8/10 Jeb Taylor http://www.au.cd/highbeam/mag/index.html
- author: Andrew
Thumb's brand of heavy alternative guitar rock borrows from familiar influences and combines them in such a fashion to force the 3-piece to stand out from the crowd. This 14-song CD delivers strong cuts throughout and gets more interesting as the collection progresses. This would feel at home on alt-fm radio and I'd be the first to welcome it as the band is obviously not afraid to experiment with the style's direction and take it to new plateaus. Bryan Baker www.gajoob.com
- author: Andrew
get ready for power grunge like you've never heard it before. Thumb's new release "nitros city" is like a fun house. you never know what is just around the corner. "tired show" is a defining song for Thumb. starting out as a depressed groan, it suddenly shifts into a driven rage, then back and forth with an almost cheesy 70's pop sounding interlude in the middle. it's like they are playing with you, almost lackadaisically. just to let you know that they can and will do whatever they want musically. and this quality is consistant throughout. it's beautiful and i listen in almost constant amazement. "wrong way home" is probably the most traditional power grunge tune on the album while "jealousy" has a bit more of a metal kick to it and also a couple of mood shifts. "nitros city" is a powerful, brave, and humerous collection. if you think you can handle it, click above and enjoy Jeff Hepfer - burn yer radio www.wakeupweb.com
- author: DKARN
One of Perths best bands. Soul & groove to burn, along with unmistakeable melodies and serious rhythm. Nitros City is well worth your attention. Get your digits moving and grab a copy, you will be changed forever!!!! Barry DKARN.
- author: Andrew
As nearly as I can tell, this is the band's second release, the first being a tape called Naked, coming from the West Australian based 3 piece. It's surprising I haven't heard of them before this, as they've apparently received some airplay at the release of their last release from Triple J. The band's music is a curious hybrid of a number of well known bands like Tool & black Sabbath, just a couple of the influences the band themselves mentioned & 2 that you can indeed hear in the sound of their music. Another good reference point for those in the know would be Front end Loader, who the band occasionally sound a little similar to at times too. Opening up is a very atmospheric & slowly building track called "Shallow Grave", the mood suitably sombre, but with just the right amount of grunt behind it to give you an idea. "All Save The Day" is one of the big highlights for me & is one of a couple of the tracks that sound like the aforementioned Front End Loader, especially the vocals on the opening of the track. Pick of the album for me is the ultra cool & somewhat aggressive sound of "Tired Show", which has a fantastic lead guitar section that you'll just go right off about, the band following in it's wake.There's definitely somewhere for these guys to go with their music, this I think just a taste of what the band can do, with some nicely experimental material showing a band with great variety & good delivery. Terry Allen www.ozemail.com.au/~hmag/
- author: Andrew
behind a barrel-voiced singer reminiscent of morphine, this perth trio combine soundgarden's penchant for syncopated hard rock with the violent femmes' acoustic elasticity. while the odd time signatures sometimes grate, when they are used well - as on the darkly sexual stick 2 fingers - the band really sparks. David Messer - Juice Magazine Australia
- author: Andrew
three piece local band thumb have been around since 1993 and are charles chase, brendan ewing and andrew ewing. having survived a name change, the release of two eps and a single, WRONG WAY HOME (jan '98), thumb now unleash NITROS CITY. with artwork resembling the recently launched red jezebel CD, thumb are minimalist yet well presented. this 14-track CD covers a range of tastes, from the thrashings of wrong way home to the calmness of untitled, thumb more than represent their eclecticism. the opening track, shallow grave is reminiscent of pearl jam's early ten album, all grunge-inspired guitars and strong vocals. the faith no more-ish jealousy quickens the pace, providing a moment to mosh. thumbs use of tempo change mid-track gives constant redirection to several tracks. the title track holds a neutral mellowness and thumb's guitar emphasis carries the tracks through to mind my dream a big guitar/heavy vocals track. at times, thumb's material tends to become repetitive, with the use of the one riff several times in one song resulting in a more obvious, rather than simply catchy sound. we are asked "have you considered heavy metal poisoning?" at the beginning of the beck-ish funk-filled/metal-interrupted/farm animal sounds sampler ham and beef. the gem tired show comes towards the end, with "and I don't care what you want, and i'm not impressed by your showing off / i’d fuck you out of curiosity" representing life in a perth band perhaps? the nice even pace of this track holds enough variety to maintain interest and become a potential single. the stop start of how full of concern gives way to the short-lived funk of ono, which sounds vaguely supergrass- i should coco-ish. the shouting of humble contests "god/man/lines never crossed" with changes in direction again disjoining the track. however you judge thumb, they have definitely achieved something with NITROS CITY. For in it, thumb embrace their dark, disturbing melancholy and mellow the fast pace of life for a pleasant moment or two. Maryanne Hancock - Harambee Magazine Perth WA
- author: Andrew
a band who've been doing things locally for years, thumb (known as ash a long time ago, before those poxy irish lads came along and ruined it all for them) have finally got round to releasing something of real length, away from the tapes and dats. you could easily mistake them for tumbleweed if you saw them standing on a street corner, but that's not a mistake you'd make once you heard them play. For starters, they're only a three piece, but also, they're so much more subtle, more complex and more of a thinking person's music, than those other drug bums. It's classic sounding melodic rock, without being full frontal R.O.C.K, typified by no one track in particular. It's probably best to analyse them by taking some examples from a few songs. The tightness displayed on wrong way home, the acoustic flavour of all save the day, and the 70's come 90's classic rock of some memory of a man sum it up nicely. Stuart Badhair - Pelican Magazine Perth WA
- author: Andrew
after doing a magical disappearing/reappearing trick from the perth music scene, thumb have jumped in front of everyone's faces with a sudden return to the live scene and releasing a single, WRONG WAY HOME, which has now led to this, a well produced and presented album that effectively exposes thumb's unique view and style of music, backed by revealing and motivated lyrics. the general consensus on NITROS CITY is to take things at a slow pace while heavily building the music up. the opener, shallow grave, and the mindful stick 2 fingers follow this pattern, while the catchy single wrong way home and jealousy show the heavier side of thumbs music and subject matters. the cold and blunt drone of vocalist andrew ewing's voice adds a further element to the thumb sound as he passes over subjects with determination and opinion, even when singing behind an acoustic guitar. behind a great deal of the publicity and hype is an album that travels deeply through a talented musical style that was left over in the wake of grunge and pumped with real emotions in the lyrics, as well as in the music. Daniel Salter - Xpress Magazine Perth WA
- author: Andrew
Watch out America! Here comes a THUMB in your face! Australia's answer to Black Sabbath, Thumb comes right at you with a 14 song assault they like to call "Nitros City" on Wings Music Entertainment. These guys from down under combine the energy of a Midnight Oil, the hard rocking of say a Silverchair and the attitude of favorite hard rockers that have come down the pipes before them like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, King Crimson & Frank Zappa....yes, Frank Zappa! you yellow snow eaters..and you know who you are! Thumb's Charles Chase, Brendan Ewing and Andrew Ewing from Ash (the band's former name) in Perth in Western Australia are all hippie freaks to be sure (my kind of people!) carry on the legacy laid down before them with youthful fervor and insightful angst. Thumb takes you along on a sonic romp through the bedrooms of their minds, tripping through psychedelic interludes; dripping with emotion, searching for truth and reason in Nitros City. Whether you find it or not is up to you. They'll rock you hard on tracks like "Wrong Way Home" which rocks with intensity while breathing easy & "Mind My Dream" or trip slowly through the rock and roll garden on songs like "Stick 2 Fingers", a slow, sticky, repetitive melodic groove with slow, rhythmic, almost jazz-like drumming. This style works well for them as it does on the title track "Nitros City", which has a cool, funky vibe to it and just might sound better with a balloon near by..I don't know! Some of the lyrics are intensely personal on songs like "Untitled" and "Some Memory of A Man". It all comes from the inside with Thumb. I think that's what they mean when Andrew screams out, "Stick 2 fingers in my mouth and help me force the pain out!" Knowing firsthand how cathartic music can be, I can say Thumb must be feeling much better after this excursion through Nitros City. Cowboy Surfer - www.musicdish.com