Common Existence

Album Art for Common Existence

Common Existence is the fifth full-length album from post-hardcore band Thursday. It was released on February 17, 2009 on Epitaph Records. The band began recording at Dave Fridmann's Tarbox Road Studios on August 11, 2008. The album was completed in November 2008.

The band explores many subjects, including marriage (”Last Call”), fatherhood (”As He Climbed the Dark Mountain”), and physical abuse (”Time's Arrow”).

In a March 2009 interview, Rickly explained the album's title refers to humanity's shared experience, and that many of the songs were influenced by the words of his favorite poets and authors.

“Almost every song on the record is connected to a different writer. The first song, “Resuscitation of a Dead Man” is influenced by Denis Johnson's Resuscitation of a Hanged Man. Another song is based on a book [Martin Amis'] Time's Arrow. The whole record also has a lot of themes from Roberto Bolano, a poet who wrote The Savage Detectives and a few other things. The song “Circuits of Fever” is very influenced by [writer] David Foster Wallace.”

Geoff Rickly

Other albums

The album includes the track ”As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” which previously appeared on the band's split EP with Japanese hardcore band Envy.

On December 9, 2008, the band released the first new track from the album, ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man”, on their MySpace page. In early February, another new track, ”Friends in the Armed Forces”, was released for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

A music video was filmed for ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man” which features various pyrotechnics such as sparks falling around the band. Footage includes the band performing in a red room and urgent scenes of a man being rushed on a gurney. Later on, Thursday's amplifiers become engulfed in fire as well. In an interview on No. 1 Countdown, band members stated that all pyrotechnics were indeed real and frequently singed their hair.

“Circuits of Fever” was also released as a music video in October 2009. You can watch the video Spinner Music.

All music by Thursday. All lyrics by Geoff Rickly.

1. ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man” – 3:21
2. ”Last Call” – 4:03
3. ”As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” – 3:01
4. ”Friends in the Armed Forces” – 4:10
5. ”Beyond the Visible Spectrum” – 3:59
6. ”Time's Arrow” – 4:13
7. ”Unintended Long Term Effects” – 2:18
8. ”Circuits of Fever” – 5:07
9. ”Subway Funeral” – 4:18
10. ”Love Has Led Us Astray” – 4:39
11. ”You Were the Cancer” – 5:49

• Geoff Rickly – vocals
• Tom Keeley – guitar, vocals
• Steve Pedulla – guitar, vocals
• Tim Payne – bass guitar
• Tucker Rule – drums
• Andrew Everding – keyboards, synthesizers, vocals
• Tim McIlrath – guest vocals on ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man”
• Walter Schreifels – guest vocals on ”Friends in the Armed Forces”
• Produced, recorded, engineered and mixed by Dave Fridmann
• Engineered by Dave Fridmann, Andrew Everding, Joseph Pedulla and Karla Allen
• Mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone
• Photography by Michael Brandt, Dennis Keeley and Mike Chapman
• Layout by Nick Pritchard

- ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man”
- ”Circuits of Fever”

- ”Resuscitation of a Dead Man”
- ”Circuits of Fever”