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  1. - Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
  2.  
  3.   Artist:      Thomas Function
  4.   Album:       In The Vally Of Sickness
  5.   Label:       Fat Possum Records
  6.   Playtime:    38:19 min
  7.   Genre:       Indie
  8.   URL:         http://www.myspace.com/thomasfunction
  9.   Rip date:    2009-11-11
  10.   Street date: 2009-10-13
  11.   Size:        53.80 MB
  12.   Type:        Normal
  13.   Quality:     187 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo
  14.  
  15. - Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
  16.  
  17.    "Are you gonna buy a record or what?" When a band starts a tune (in this case
  18.    called "Picking Scabs") by asking that musical question with a serious dose
  19.    of snotty vocal whine, you can tell they've spent some time on the road
  20.    flogging their merch, and Thomas Function did more than their fair share of
  21.    touring in support of their 2008 debut, Celebration. The follow-up, In the
  22.    Valley of Sickness, finds the band sounding significantly tighter and more
  23.    muscular than on their first full-length; Zach Jeffries' keyboards show more
  24.    sonic variety this time out, bassist Travis Thompson and drummer Phillip
  25.    Dougherty know just how hard to hit and keep the music moving forward with
  26.    Θlan, and John Macero's guitar work splits the difference between the snark
  27.    of late-'70s punk and the attitude of '60s garage rock. Most of what made
  28.    Celebration a pleasant surprise is reprised on In the Valley of Sickness,
  29.    though this album is weighed down by that traditional nemesis of young bands,
  30.    The Sophomore Songwriting Slump. Thomas Function's melodies are more than
  31.    strong on their second album, but the lyrics don't cut as deep (the lead-off
  32.    track, "ADP Blues," may be the least alarming call for violence against
  33.    police officers to surface in ages), and "Two Pigs" and "Not Asking for Much"
  34.    lift familiar hooks from (respectively) Ray Davies and the Feelies, though
  35.    there's no arguing that they borrow from the best. If Celebration was a
  36.    unexpectedly great debut, In the Valley of Sickness is a good follow-up; as a
  37.    band, they're every bit as good and maybe even better, but they ought to give
  38.    themselves a bit more downtime to write material before they step up for
  39.    Album Number Three.
  40.  
  41. - Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
  42.  
  43.   01. ADP Blues                                                         ( 2:48)
  44.   02. Day In the Shade                                                  ( 2:28)
  45.   03. Picking Scabs                                                     ( 2:24)
  46.   04. Waverly                                                           ( 2:09)
  47.   05. Ew Way Ew                                                         ( 3:11)
  48.   06. Belly of the Beast                                                ( 2:25)
  49.   07. When I Was A King                                                 ( 4:58)
  50.   08. How Does It Feel                                                  ( 2:30)
  51.   09. Magic City                                                        ( 3:10)
  52.   10. Two Pigs                                                          ( 3:22)
  53.   11. Not Asking For Much                                               ( 4:16)
  54.   12. No End In Sight                                                   ( 4:38)
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