Kscope, 2010

The Liverpool sextet’s first album in seven years provides some lovely atmospheric prog-rock in which to douse our senses. It sounds as if they’ve had some kind of spiritual revelation in those intervening years, the sixty minutes adopting an inspirational charge to its emotional expanses, and the shared male / female vocals floating around like ethereal gurus. It’s a touch new-agey then, but also stirring and meticulously-crafted.

Vagrant, 2009

Thrice follow up their conceptual Alchemy Index with a straightforward rock record, which in the post-hardcore world is usually code for a forgettable release. Not so here. The ten songs on Beggars are subtle and catchy, full of groove, drive, and undeniable soul.