The Artist in the Ambulance
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''The Artist in the Ambulance'' is the third studio album by American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...
. It was released on July 22, 2003, through
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
, becoming their first release on a
major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
. The band released their second studio album '' The Illusion of Safety'' in March 2002; by July of that year, they were writing material for their next album. Recording sessions were held with producer
Brian McTernan Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, he was named one of "the 50 m ...
at
Bearsville Studios Bearsville Sound Studio was a recording studio founded by Albert Grossman in Bearsville, New York, west of Woodstock in 1969. History Albert Grossman, who was the manager of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, first arrived in Bearsville in 1 ...
in
Bearsville, New York Bearsville is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the town of Woodstock. It is located along New York State Route 212, within Catskill State Park The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United Sta ...
; Salad Days Studios in
Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...
; and Phase Studios in
College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known a ...
. ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' is a
melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...
and
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
album that has been compared to the works of Blindside. Following tours of the United States and Europe—the latter as part of the
Deconstruction Tour Deconstruction Tour was a one-day punk music and skate festival that was staged in various countries across Europe. It first took place in 1999 and occurred annually until 2006. The tour was arranged by Destiny Tourbooking. In general, the tour o ...
—" All That's Left" was released as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from ''The Artist in the Ambulance''. Thrice briefly appeared on
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
before the track "Under a Killing Moon" was released on a
split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...
seven-inch vinyl single with a track by
Thursday Thursday is the Names of the days of the week, day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fi ...
. Thrice appeared at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
in the United Kingdom before embarking on a European tour supporting co-headliners Rancid and
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
. Thrice closed 2003 with another UK tour, and a US tour with Thursday and
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
. Thrice also toured Japan, Australia and Europe in 2004, leading into US tours; one with Poison the Well and Darkest Hour, and one supporting
Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the songThe Sharp Hint of New Tears off their debut album, ''The Swiss Army Romance''. History Early h ...
on the
Honda Civic Tour The Honda Civic Tour was an annual concert tour, sponsored by American Honda Motor Company and produced by Marketing Factory. 2001 First half *Headliner: Blink-182 *Supporting: No Motiv, Sum 41, The Ataris, and Bodyjar Second half *Headliner: ...
. ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' received generally positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, many of whom highlighted Thrice's musicianship and the quality of the songwriting. The album peaked at number 16 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
200 __NOTOC__ Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 '' Ab ur ...
chart, becoming Thrice's first entry on that chart. It topped the
Top Internet Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the '' ...
chart, and peaked at number 109 on the main
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
and at number nine on the UK Rock Albums Charts. "All That's Left" appeared on three ''Billboard'' component charts; its highest peak was number 24 on the
Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart, on which "Stare at the Sun" reached number 39.


Background

In June 2000, Thrice released their debut album ''
Identity Crisis In psychology, identity crisis is a stage theory of identity development where it involves resolution of a conflict over the 8 stages of the lifespan.(Schultz, 216) The term was coined by German psychologist Erik Erikson. The stage of psychosoci ...
'' through independent label Greenflag Records. Sometime afterwards, Louis Posen of
Sub City Records Sub City Records is a record label which was created by Louis Posen and Hopeless Records to raise funding and awareness for non-profit organizations. Sub City has been active since 1999, and has now over 30 releases. The label has donated over $2 ...
took an interest in Thrice and re-issued the album. The band's second album, the
Brian McTernan Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, he was named one of "the 50 m ...
-produced '' The Illusion of Safety'', followed in February 2002. Prior to this,
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
' A&R member Robert Stevenson became interested in Thrice and saw them perform at Chain Reaction, a venue in California. The members of Thrice liked Stevenson's appreciation of the punk rock scene; he had grown up listening to
New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Wa ...
bands and had previously signed
Rival Schools ''Rival Schools: United by Fate'', known in Japan as is a fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as an arcade game in 1997 and ported to the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1998. On February 23, 2012, Capcom released ''Unit ...
. Thrice came to the attention of
major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
s such as
Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...
, Columbia and
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
. Thrice toured with
Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...
; before or after every show on the tour, Thrice had a meeting with a representative of one of those labels. Around this time, the band was also being courted by music producer
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...
. Thrice's manager Nick Bogardus spent time at
Time Bomb Recordings Time Bomb Recordings was a Laguna Beach, California-based independent record label, founded in 1995 by artist manager Jim Guerinot in a joint-venture agreement with Arista Records. In the following five years, the artist roster grew to encompass ...
, which helped him make contact with
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
A&R member Pete Giberga. Giberga, who also enjoyed New York hardcore, said while Epic had no interest in signing Thrice, he advised Bogardus and the band which A&R people were worth talking to. In June 2002, Thrice signed to Island Records and formally announced the signing the following month. Their recording contract was for up to three albums; vocalist and guitarist
Dustin Kensrue Dustin Michael Kensrue (pronounced KENZ-roo) is a musician, singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Thrice, as well as a solo artist. Career 2007: Please Come Home On October 10, 2006, it was a ...
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". Bassist Eddie Breckenridge said the label had bought the rights for the band's next album from Sub City. The same month, Thrice spent time at home writing material for their next album. The band then performed on the main stage at
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
before playing club shows in October and November 2002.


Recording

Thrice were adamant about working with McTernan again, whom they had enjoyed working with on ''The Illusion of Safety''. ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' marked the first time McTernan worked on a major label release, which Eddie Breckenridge said made it "really stressful" for him. Drummer
Riley Breckenridge James Riley Breckenridge (born January 5, 1975) is the drummer for the band Thrice. He plays Q Drums, and uses Vic Firth drumsticks, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, with Drum Workshop hardware and pedals. Biography The older brother of Thri ...
said the band did not have much time to write new material after ''The Illusion of Safety'' because they were constantly on tour. They were under pressure to write new songs, having only brief ideas by this point, and were given two months to write material for their upcoming major-label debut. McTernan visited the band at lock-outs in southern California for pre-production work on material. Thrice wanted to expand their musical palette but were unable to experiment due to the rushed nature of the process, since they were on tour constantly and did not have enough time to write. For two weeks, drums were recorded at
Bearsville Studios Bearsville Sound Studio was a recording studio founded by Albert Grossman in Bearsville, New York, west of Woodstock in 1969. History Albert Grossman, who was the manager of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, first arrived in Bearsville in 1 ...
in
Bearsville, New York Bearsville is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the town of Woodstock. It is located along New York State Route 212, within Catskill State Park The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United Sta ...
, with engineer
Michael Barbiero Michael Francis Barbiero (born June 25, 1949)Infidel Biography
. Infidel Records. Retri ...
and
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
operator
Matt Squire Matt Squire (born May 7, 1976) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, and songwriter. His production, songwriting, and mixing credits include Underoath, Panic! at the Disco, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kesh ...
; Bill Synan assisted the pair. Thrice then went to Salad Days Studios in
Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...
, for six weeks across March and April 2003 to record the rest of the instruments. Breckenridge felt they were not prepared upon entering the studio, saying that he would often be writing his bass parts as he was recording them, which increased the pressure for McTernan. Kensrue had a few disagreements over lyrics with McTernan, who felt "really maxed out" while in the studio because he wrote most of them there. Having no time to rest, whenever Kensrue came up with a lyric, McTernan "would know that it wasn't the best I could do, and he would tell me". Guitarist Teppei Teranishi said they used to "just throw songs together", but for this album they spent more time on arranging the songs. Thrice struggled to record guitars for "Under a Killing Moon" because of problems with
tuning Tuning can refer to: Common uses * Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component * Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice ** Guitar tunings ** Piano tuning, adjusti ...
, resulting in them re-recording the guitars. According to McTernan, Thrice 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". The strings on "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts" and "The Melting Point of Wax" were recorded at Phase Studios in
College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known a ...
. Charlie Barnett arranged and conducted the session, which involved musicians 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 Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album ''Future Shock''. Other m ...
mastered the recordings at
Masterdisk Masterdisk is an American multimedia company in New York, located at 8 John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production. Their clients include such no ...
in New York City. The songs "Motion Isn't Meaning" and "Eclipse" were recorded during the sessions but were left off the finished album.


Composition and lyrics

''The Artist in the Ambulance'' has been classified as
melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...
,
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
, and
emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
. It drew comparisons to the work of Blindside. Jon Wiederhorn of
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
said the album blends "
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
,
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
, emo and
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
often within a single song".
Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
called the album a "post-hardcore landmark, one that coasted into the lanes of math-metal and, yes, even pop-punk just enough to appeal to a rainbow of fans". 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". Breckenridge said they felt pressured by their fans to keep the same sound as their previous album, as they were worried about alienating their listeners, which stopped them from expanding their sound. The album's title was taken from a short story in an issue of '' Burn Collector'' by Al Burian of
Milemarker A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to s ...
; Kensrue said it "basically sksthe question, 'Do we, as artists, have the responsibility to do something more than ... entertain?'" Riley Breckenridge said they were reading McTernan's copy of it during their spare time in the midst of ''The Illusion of Safety'' sessions. ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' opens with "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts", an aggressive track that showcases Teranishi's guitarwork and Kensrue's vocals. It is the result of blending two songs together; Teranishi said the "spooky" section, which refers to the part with strings and palm-muted guitars, was initially played on a guitar that was enhanced with an auto-volume
delay pedal Delay is an audio signal processing technique that records an input signal to a storage medium and then plays it back after a period of time. When the delayed playback is mixed with the live audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the or ...
. They switched it to a heavier version that was reminiscent of the work of
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
, before settling on the final version. McTernan sauid Barnett's string section "really took it over the top" with the instruments doubling the sound of the palm mutes. Eddie Breckenridge originally wrote the track's 5/4 section as part of an aborted 10-minute track. Thrice unsuccessfully attempted to put the section in every track before leaving it in "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts". "Under a Killing Moon" switches between older forms of metal and
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
. The band wanted another heavy track; Teranishi wrote the verses' guitar riff during a practice session. The song's ending guitar riff is slower in tempo because 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 the sound of
Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast (band), Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joe ...
, to whose work Teranishi was listening on the days he wrote the parts. The lyrics initially worked well with melodic
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...
s but did not work when the band worked on the song during a practice session. Kensrue then decided to
scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
the words, which he felt worked better with the final song. "All That's Left" is the result of the band's desire to experiment with more-traditional song structures with ''The Artist in the Ambulance''; its chorus section bordered on space-esque
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
before being reworked. Kensrue rewrote the song's lyrics around eight times and said the final version talks about the "strength we have in our youth and the things we trade for that". "Silhouette" includes 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 it in time with Kensrue's part, facilitating the addition of extra notes. Its lyrics originate from the band's first tour; Kensrue sent them to his girlfriend on the back of a postcard. He wrote them on a painting he made for her, and later reworked them into "Silhouette". The bassline of "Stare at the Sun" was initially written in a mathy, chaotic metal style that Teranishi tried to merge with "The Abolition of Man" before spinning it off into a new track. The drums were originally played in 4/4 time at 5/7 intervals before being simplified to allow Kensrue to sing over them. As a result of this, the bridge section had to be scrapped and a new one written. The beginning of "Paper Tigers" came from jamming sessions that occurred between Eddie and Riley Breckenridge following practice sessions. In its original form, the song was a
metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
and
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier 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 later scrapped, and added them to "Paper Tigers" towards the end of recording. "Hoods on Peregrine" is a combination of a guitar riff Kensrue wrote during practice, a 1970s-like bass part from Eddie Breckenridge, and a guitar riff Kensrue wrote during one of the coldest nights he had experienced in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
. 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." "The Melting Point of Wax" is the first song the band wrote after the release of ''The Illusion of Safety''; Riley Breckenridge wrote the chorus section using an acoustic guitar. He did not like the way the track sounded with added
distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
and felt Barnett's strings helped fill it out in places where he though "there were voices missing". The song went through 12 variations, which included verses in 5/4 time, before the band settled on the final version. According to Kensrue, the song is a response to people "bitching at us for decisions" they made the previous year. It is a re-telling of the
Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos suspe ...
mythology, which was one of his favorite myths. Kensrue said the band glorified Icarus' flight, which contrasted the "traditional interpretations
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
include shunning vanity, respecting elders, playing it safe, etc." "Blood Clots and Black Holes" is an amalgamation of riffs from Teranishi and Breckenridge, and is the second song written following ''The Illusion of Safety''. The album's title track "The Artist in the Ambulance" was influenced by ''Burn Collector'', which Kensrue would read while at a
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
coffee house. He said he discussed comparing "The Artist" and "The Ambulance" as concepts, and the "different roles they play and what contribution they make in life". "The Abolition of Man" is one of the heaviest tracks on ''The Artist in the Ambulance''; it incorporated multiple time signatures and
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
-style guitar riffs. It was named after C.S. Lewis's book of the same name and initially had the working title "Hot Water Metal" due to its anthemic first verse. Teranishi said his guitar parts were influenced by the early releases of
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...
. "Don't Tell and We Don't Ask", the album's closing track, resulted from ideas scrapped from other songs on the album. The drums in the chorus were adapted from those in the intro to "Paper Tigers".


Release

Punknews.org reported that Thrice would tour with
the Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...
in April and May 2003. During this tour, which included a performance at Skate and Surf Fest, the band were aiming to perform new material. On April 5, 2003, ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' was announced for release in three months' time. During the next two months, the band expected to participate in the
Deconstruction Tour Deconstruction Tour was a one-day punk music and skate festival that was staged in various countries across Europe. It first took place in 1999 and occurred annually until 2006. The tour was arranged by Destiny Tourbooking. In general, the tour o ...
, which visited several European countries. "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. "All That's Left" was released to alternative radio on June 17 and two days later, the album's artwork was posted online. Thrice was announced as part of on the Warped Tour line-up, which ran between June and August 2003. During one performance, Breckenridge tried removing his clothing-filled suitcase from the tour bus, which had become stuck in the cargo area. In a 2005 interview, he recalled that as soon as he freed the suitcase, "my back just went... It was like somebody stabbed me in my lower back". It exacerbated a previous injury he had sustained from skateboarding. Despite increasing pain, Breckenridge continued performing shows; he eventually stopped performing while the rest of the band continued, playing the final few Warped shows acoustically. "Under a Killing Moon" was released on a
split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...
seven-inch vinyl single with "For the Workforce, Drowning" by
Thursday Thursday is the Names of the days of the week, day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fi ...
on July 1, 2003. A music video for "All That's Left", which was directed by the Workshop, premiered on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
a week later. ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' was initially planned for release on July 15, 2003, through Island Records, but was delayed until July 22 of that year. A limited edition of the album featuring special artwork, lyrics and details about each track was also released. Eddie Breckenridge explained that they took inspiration from
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
albums, which was a style that the members of the band were big fans of. Discussing the accompanying artwork, he "always want dto know how bands got to a certain part, or how they exactly feel. If someone doesn't really like a song or finds something weird about a certain part of a song, it would be cool to hear why they did that". An extract from Burian's short story was included in the liner notes, alongside a link to purchase it. Five percent of the sales from the album was donated to Syrentha J. Savio Endowment, an organization that provides
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
and other medication for those who cannot afford it. Thrice had previously donated money to charities while on Sub City; when they were negotiating with major labels, they made it clear they wished to continue donating money to charities. The president of Island Records had founded a charity and was supportive of the band's endeavors. Around the time of release, the band signed autographs at in-store events. On August 21, 2003, Thrice appeared on '' The Late Late Show''. For the rest of July 2003, Thrice were expected to perform at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
in the UK before embarking on a European tour supporting Rancid and
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
. Thrice were expected to perform on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's lead ...
'' in September 2003. In October 2003, Thrice announced a UK tour, anticipating a North American tour with Thursday and
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
, which was planned to run into November 2003. Two weeks of this tour was headlined by the
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
. The music video for "Stare at the Sun" was released on November 12, 2003; it was directed by
Brett Simon Brett Simon (born November 28, 1973 in Palo Alto, California) is an American commercial, music video and film director. Career Simon graduated from Princeton University ''summa cum laude'' in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative L ...
, and depicts use of a
photocopier A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...
, which Simon said "illustrate a search for meaning and knowledge". "Stare at the Sun" was released to US alternative radio on November 18, 2003. The band wanted to release "The Artist in the Ambulance" as the album's second single but Island Records wanted to release "Stare at the Sun"; the label asked program directors of radio stations for input, all of whom chose "Stare at the Sun". In December 2003, the band was announced to perform at the
KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Almost Acoustic Christmas is an annual concert run by the Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM. The first show was held in December 1989, though then it was simply called the KROQ Xmas Bash. In 1990 the show became bigger and attracted increasingl ...
festival. In February 2004, Thrice planned to tour Japan before embarking on an Australian tour with
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
and
Hot Water Music Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason Bl ...
. Following this, Punknews.org reported that the band would tour Europe with Coheed and Cambria, and
Vaux Vaux may refer to: People * Antoine-Alexis Cadet de Vaux (1743–1828), French chemist and pharmacist * Bernard Carra de Vaux (1867–1953), French orientalist who published accounts of his travels in the Middle East *Clotilde de Vaux (1815–184 ...
. In March and April 2004, the band planned to tour the US with Poison the Well, Darkest Hour and
Moments in Grace Moments in Grace (formerly known as Postcard Audio) was an alternative rock/post-hardcore band from St. Augustine, Florida, active from December 2001 to March 2005. In its final days, the band relocated to Burbank, California and its line-up in ...
. In May and June 2004, the band were expected to support
Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the songThe Sharp Hint of New Tears off their debut album, ''The Swiss Army Romance''. History Early h ...
on the
Honda Civic Tour The Honda Civic Tour was an annual concert tour, sponsored by American Honda Motor Company and produced by Marketing Factory. 2001 First half *Headliner: Blink-182 *Supporting: No Motiv, Sum 41, The Ataris, and Bodyjar Second half *Headliner: ...
. Thrice then appeared on Warped Tour for a third time.


Critical reception

''The Artist in the Ambulance'' received generally positive reviews from music critics.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer Johnny Loftus complimented McTernan for "tighten ngthe seams that hold together Thrice's patchwork print of post-hardcore bellow, emotional bluster, and unabashed metal wankery"; he called it the band's strongest work to date. Nick Madsen of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
said the band's tendency to "lean more towards the melodic" gave them "much more focused songs". He considered ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' the "perfect evolution of Thrice's past material" because the "direction of the music and the delivery of the actual songs have improved three-fold".
Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...
writer Damrod was surprised "anew by the nice basslines" as well as the use of "octaves, patterns, ndexcellent fills". He summarised it by saying the band's "musicianship is on a high level, the instrumental use as well as the lyrics". ''
Melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...
'' webmaster Johan Wippsson wrote the band provided "a bunch of great songs that just smashes you in the face with power and raw energy". Jasamine White-Gluz of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' similarly said Thrice "sounds better than ever", managing to "hang on to their signature melody-based songwriting". ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' contributor Christine Klunk found it to be "more than just three chords, lots of guttural screaming, and heavy-handed drumming" because it offers "12 surprisingly varied tracks". Jens Brüggemann writing for
laut.de laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative, metal, hip-hop, jazz and techno. It comprises record reviews, interviews, biographies of important artists, music ...
stated the tempo shifts in the "individual tracks ensure liveliness" with melodies that showcase the album's complex nature. ''
CMJ New Music Report CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
'' Amy Sciarretto wrote the band sound like a mix of Face to Face, Metallica and Thursday "somehow manag ngto pull the feat off—without resulting in an unlistenable mess of music". ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' reviewer Bram Teitelman expressed a similar opinion, saying the album "at times sounds like Iron Maiden, Bad Religion and Rush jamming (which sounds a lot better on disc than it looks on paper)". John Wiederhorn of ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
'' wrote; " mehow, all these stylistic variations don’t disrupt the music’s flow, which rocks as hard as it aches". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' writer Marie Elsie St. Leger said while the rest of the band "ably create a close facsimile of existential rage", Kensrue's words, which are "sharp, sometime political ... and even allegorical", typically get "lost in the screams".


Commercial performance and legacy

Prior to release, 100,000 copies of ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' had been shipped to stores; it sold 47,500 copies in its first week of release. By July 2006, it had sold 391,000 copies in the US. The album peaked at number 16 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
200 __NOTOC__ Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 '' Ab ur ...
chart, making it their first album to do so. It topped the
Top Internet Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the '' ...
chart. The album reached number nine on the UK Rock Albums Chart. "All That's Left" peaked at number 24 on
Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
, number 36 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and number 37 on
Active Rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
. "Stare at the Sun" peaked at number 39 on Alternative Airplay. In a 2007 interview, Riley Breckenridge said the label pushed to make Thrice and Thursday "the next
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
ovementor whatever we were supposed to become. It just did not work". ''
Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
'' ranked ''The Artist in the Ambulance'' at number five on their list of the "10 best albums of the ’00s". ''NME'' included the album on their list of the "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". ''Rock Sound'' ranked it at number 25 on their list of "modern classics", stating that it was "their first classic, introducing themselves to the world at large with a brand of unique post-hardcore that is still to be bettered".
The Color Morale The Color Morale is an American metalcore band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 2007. The band includes vocalist/keyboardist Garret Rapp, guitarists Devin King and Aaron Saunders, bassist Mike Honson, and drummer Steve Carey. Rapp and Carey are ...
covered "Stare at the Sun" for their EP ''Artist Inspiration Series'' (2017).


Track listing

All music by Thrice. Lyrics by Dustin Kensrue. All recordings produced by
Brian McTernan Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, he was named one of "the 50 m ...
.


Personnel

Credits adapted from the booklet of ''The Artist in the Ambulance''. Thrice *
Dustin Kensrue Dustin Michael Kensrue (pronounced KENZ-roo) is a musician, singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Thrice, as well as a solo artist. Career 2007: Please Come Home On October 10, 2006, it was a ...
– vocals, rhythm guitar * Eddie Breckenridge – bass * Teppei Teranishi – lead guitar *
Riley Breckenridge James Riley Breckenridge (born January 5, 1975) is the drummer for the band Thrice. He plays Q Drums, and uses Vic Firth drumsticks, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, with Drum Workshop hardware and pedals. Biography The older brother of Thri ...
– drums Additional musicians * Charlie Barnett – arranger, conductor (tracks 1 and 8) * Marcio Bothello – cello (tracks 1 and 8) * Osman Kivrak – viola (tracks 1 and 8) * Teri Lazar – violin (tracks 1 and 8) * Chris Shieh – violin (tracks 1 and 8) * Greg Watkins – double bass (tracks 1 and 8) Production and design *
Brian McTernan Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, he was named one of "the 50 m ...
– producer, engineer * Andy Wallace – mixing *
Michael Barbiero Michael Francis Barbiero (born June 25, 1949)Infidel Biography
. Infidel Records. Retri ...
– drum engineer *
Matt Squire Matt Squire (born May 7, 1976) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, and songwriter. His production, songwriting, and mixing credits include Underoath, Panic! at the Disco, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kesh ...
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
* Bill Synan – engineering assistant * Steve Sisco – mixing assistant * Josh Wibur – Pro Tools *
Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album ''Future Shock''. Other m ...
– mastering * Cold War Kids – artwork, photography


Charts


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


''The Artist in the Ambulance''
at
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(streamed copy where licensed) {{DEFAULTSORT:Artist in the Ambulance, The 2003 albums Thrice albums Island Records albums Albums produced by Brian McTernan