Ill Thrift - In Memory of an All Girl Band

Ill Thrift

In Memory of an All Girl Band
self-released; 2017

​3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

III Thrift is a four-piece band consisting of Phil (guitar/vocal/bass), Colin (piano), Nick (drums) and Liam (bass). They recently released a nine-song album entitled In Memory of an All girl Band. They mention influences like The Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine and Bob Dylan’s guitar work which actually makes sense after listening to the songs.

The songs are lo-fi through and through and it works better on some than others. Take for instance a certified highlight entitled “Colombian Coffee.” There is a bit of an Animal Collective vibe in this especially the Sung Tongs era. There is a playful almost childlike quality between the vocals and the acoustic guitar. The song works on multiple levels and I thoroughly enjoyed the instrumental part during the end.

There are some other songs on the album in the same vein but it’s arguable that they ever get to the heights of “Colombian Coffee.” They do have more success with “We Shall Be Free” which again revolves around acoustic guitar and vocals. The song felt a little repetitive but the hook is fun to listen to. 

The band introduces drums on the next effort and I enjoyed the change but the lo-fi qualities of the recording are more obvious. On top of that there are some timing issues that could have been tightened up.

That being said the jazzy song felt like a logical extension of the previous songs. “Devils in the Stereo” is another standout with exceptional guitar picking while “No Moons”  and “Miracle Ingredient Z-247” are white noise rockers. They slow things down and peel back the layers with “Golden Age” and “Hospital Song.” Don’t miss “Hospital Song;” the atmosphere is exceptional on this song. 

There were a couple of obvious things that stood out to me. If the band wants to pull of the rocking, distorted drums songs they are going to have to get their production to the next level. The songs with drums just buckle compared to the more acoustic based material which works better with lo-fi recordings.

​I really enjoyed this album. It has some minor issues which I think that they can improve. This album builds a solid foundation and I think their best work is yet to come.

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