Beggars (album)

It incorporated elements of their Vheissu (2005) and The Alchemy Index releases,[14] namely from the Water[15] and Air discs.[16] Beggars saw Teranishi and Kensrue take influence from blues music, while Eddie and Riley Breckenridge centered their attention on grooves.[9] It drew comparison to Radiohead[14][17] and Muse.[17] The band wanted a dry drum tone for "Circles", which they were unable to get in their garage studio. They decided to put blankets on Riley Breckenridge's kit, which they ended up using for several of the songs.[18]

All of the music was written by the band, while Kensrue wrote almost all of the lyrics, bar "We Move Like Swing Sets" (which was written by Eddie Breckenridge).[10] Kensrue said writing lyrics were a slow process for him due to being a perfectionistic and thinking of every aspect of a song, such as its mood and metre. He spent two consecutive weeks working on lyrics, before going to see the Star Trek (2009) film, which spurred him to write the words to "The Weight" and "Wood and Wire".[11]

He covered the lyrical themes of commitment to marriage, relationships breaking down and salvation.[19] The release is a concept album about the "love, loss and the inequality of man".[14] On the subject of the record's title, Kensrue also commented: "I think we are at most times deluded in thinking that we are totally responsible for our circumstances, but in the end almost everything is beyond our control to a high degree and we can't even be sure we will wake up tomorrow. … everything in life is a gift at its core; we are beggars all."[20]

The lyrics of opening track "All the World Is Mad" depict an apocalyptic-type world with an entity who wants the goodness of humanity.[14] Its music recalled Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Muse,[14] incorporating the use of polyrhythms.[16] "The Weight" shifts from an minimalistic arrangement to loud guitars[21] with syncopated rhythms in the vein of Verra Cruz.[19] "Circles" evolved out of a demo, which consisted of electronic instrumentation, that Riley Breckenridge had written. They tried to emulate the electronic drums with added percussion during the chorus sections.[18] The final version is a piano-driven track, lead by Teranishi's electric piano;[21] Kensrue's voice recalled Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke with his whispering-styled vocals. It builds with looped guitar parts and drums, leading to a breakdown near the track's end.[14] "Doublespeak" features walls of feedback against piano chord progressions.[21] It talks about people that purposely live in ignorance to remain in a place of privilege despite the expense of others.[15]

Southern rock track "In Exile" talks about being exiled in perpetuity and going on an immeasurable pilgrimage.[14] "At the Last" sees Kensrue rallying against consumerism;[14] the guitar work recalled the sound of grunge.[21] The psychedelic track "Wood and Wire" utilises distortion and dubbing effects,[14] while its feedback-enhanced verses were reminiscent of the intro to "Of Dust and Nations", a track from the group's Vheissu album.[16] It is sung from the viewpoint of a man, who has been in prison for 14 years for an offense he didn't commit, as he walks to his execution. The chorus section features lyrics adapted from the works of St. Paul.[15] "Talking Through Glass" ends with an acoustic coda.[21] Kensrue said "The Great Exchange" is a metaphor for the gospel, which he tried to present as an emotional story.[11] It discusses the failed rebellion of a ship's crew, and one individual who drifted to sea.[15] The backing vocals on it recalled those heard in "Nude" by Radiohead.[16] The title-track begins with a jazz-esque drum beat and builds to a crescendo with screaming. It sees Kensrue ask questions in the vein of the Book of Job about businessmen, scientists and politicians, among others.[15]

Critical reaction to Beggars has been extremely positive. Writing for Alternative Press, Scott Heisel called the album a "textbook example of the term 'creative milestone,'" and concluded that the band "have achieved that rare feat of actually progressing and maturing," rating the album as 4.5 out of 5.[21] Nick Greer's review for Sputnikmusic claimed that "softer songs" on the album, "namely 'Circles,' 'Wood & Wire,' and 'The Great Exchange,' are haunting and sad in a way Thrice has never captured before," and stated that "instrumentally, the band has never been better." Despite this he went on to call the album "at once familiar and alienating," and claimed that the band had fallen "into a complacent territory that doesn't truly push their music to new heights." He gave the album 3.5 out of 5, concluding by calling Beggars the sound of a band "settling into a sweet spot that neither attempts to leap past the achievements of previous albums nor away from what has made them so great for so long."[16]

In the first week of Beggars' physical release, it sold 11,686 copies.[36] It charted at number 47 on the Billboard 200;[37] it charted on three other component charts: number 4 on Independent Albums,[38] number 7 on Alternative Albums,[39] and number 14 on Top Rock Albums.[40]

Blare included the album at second place on their top 50 albums of 2009 list.[41]