Vancouver's By A Thread have tightly knit a new sound, drawing their influences from Seattle's Sunny Day Real Estate, hometown favorites Sparkmarker, and their own hardcore roots. Formed in 1996 by former members of Strain, By A Thread weave complex melodies with poetic lyrics that speak to the muse in each of us. Each song reveals the depth of emotion in singer/ lyricist John Franco's thoughts and actions, "My lyrics come from life experiences. I try to remain true to the feelings of the moment rather than distort them to appease other people."


Keeping their hardcore backgrounds alive, By A Thread's members come with a message. "I also write about what's bothering me, like the way people have no respect for each other and the way our traditions hold us back from prospering as a society. We seem to be so afraid of thinking for ourselves that we have to follow our ancestors so precisely. We all seem to have our lives written out for us even before we are born and that makes me feel so claustrophobic. There has to be a different way to live our lives without all the ego and tensions between us all."

John Franco - guitar/vocals
Sean Lande - guitar
Steven Fairweather - bass
Joe Franco - drums

"Last Of The Daydreams"

The band opens up with what is, in my opinion, the best track on the cd (Surface). When first hearing it, one can't help but think to themselves, "it's powerful, intense, their singer's extremely talented". From there, the cd takes us through ten tracks, all of which have a quite personal, somber tone, yet they don't loose your attention like some other bands who try to create a similar atmosphere in an album. In a way the best thing about this cd is that it does elicit a certain emotion, (some of the songs are able to put a person into a melancholic trance, while others fill you with raging energy). Any cd that can do that is worth a listen.

Where by a thread lacks melody or technicality, they make up for it in honesty, emotion, and simplicity. It's the simplicity about this record that makes them stand out in a crowd of other bands. No flashy solo's or excessive antics. I can't really think of any band that sounds like them, but I would recommend it if you are a fan of Thursday and maybe, Jimmy Eat World. My only reservations with this album is that some of the songs sound similar, this make parts of the record seem monotonous, but that's common amongst plenty of young bands with their first albums.

I think that this band is destined for big things. They definitely have the talent and the heart to attract a large following. This one is worth buying. I can't wait for what's next.

PUNKNEWS.org, November 13th, 2001, written by San