The Thornbirds

Songs: 10 Ducks out of 10
I've been listening to this CD a lot lately, and I think it's great! If you're a fan of melodic rock along the lines of Marvelous 3/ Butch Walker/ Lit/ 40 Foot Ringo/ SR-71, etc... then you'll like this without a doubt. Singer, Russ Parrish, who plays Rachet in Metal Skool, is the singer/guitarist in the band, and there is nothing bad I can say about him. There are twelve songs total. I really like the acoustic song at the very end called, "Thought You Should Know," because we can all relate to what it's about. It's a pretty powerful song.

Comments: The Thornbirds were formerly called the Ducks, but changed their name in the fall of 2003 when they got their record deal. This CD came out this spring, and they also have a song that's not on the record, on our Metal Sludge, "Hey That's What I Call Sludge" CD entitled, "Elephants and Tangerines." The Thornbirds' "All the Same" can be purchased at Tower Records, and you can visit www.thornbirds.net for more info. - Metal Sludge

Sweet, beautiful, exquisitely enthralling, *loud* power-pop. The Thornbirds. For many Not Lamers, this is an answer to prayer. Insistent slabs of gret thumping rhythm guitars ascend/descend inside the sweet-coated melodies 'n hooks. Snarling guitars, lush harmonies, and crisp vocals all add up to sugar-fortified powerful, guitar-driven pop. Kind of like the power-pop album Nirvana or King's X might have made, if they had chosen to.

Do you feel cheated when you pay seventeen bucks for a CD with only one or two decent tracks on it? the Thornbirds understand your plight. The Thornbirds understand that in order to make a great record, you have to have great songs.

Rawk + Pop = Joy. Extremely Highly Recommended. - Not Lame Recording

*** - Billboard Magazine

These guys definitely know how to put on a show. Even with Avril Lavigne and Blink 182 in the audience, no one took their eyes off these 'Birds. They didn't miss a beat, even with A.V. up on stage with them. A great show. - Us Magazine

*** - Mac Addict Magazine

*** - Al B., Rock City News

This is the CD that was made for the summer of 2004! Twelve solid songs that the volume knob was invented for! The reviews for the debut CD from this talented Los Angeles band have been killer, and you are about to read why!

If you're a fan of melodic pop that has a ton of energy and harmony (like us), this will wear out your CD player like it has ours! The lead-off track,"All the Same," is radio ready, and is leaps and bounds above most of the generic mush that saturates poor FM radio listener's ears. The closing track, the beautiful "Thought You Should Know," is the type of high-quality melodic ballad that would come from Geoff Byrd or Kyle Vincent. The CD's highlight (and there are plenty of them) is the Enuff Z'nuff inspired, "Better You Than Me," the hit that Chip and Donnie have always been wanting to write, but haven't yet.

Arguably the best CD of the season, this is a "must have" for fans of The Argument, Enuff Z'Nuff, Magna-fi, Bleu, Billionaire Boys Club, Hindu Rodeo, and other artists that make premium power-pop. Absolutely, no doubt, really superb, fantastic A+ stuff!! - Popbang Radio

On Tuesday, February 15th, The Thornbirds headlined a show at The Roxy. They dubbed the day, "Cupid is Stupid" Tuesday, based on lead singer, Russ Parrish's assessment that Valentine's Day "...was created for card shops and florists, and it's here to make singles feel like ass." Never one to pull a punch, Russ speaks his mind succinctly and gets to the uh... heart of the matter. In the greatest seriousness, though, the 'Birds put on a show that was astounding. These guys are GREAT musicians! I have to confess - I thought this might have been a bit of a toss-off gig for the band (being a Tuesday night show and all), but I got the distinct impression that they were truly putting effort into their performances. They also looked like they were genuinely having fun. That's very catching when watching a live performance.

Be sure to tune in to Eclectic Ladyland to hear Thornbirds tracks not available on any album, as well as the incredibly sexy voice of lead singer Russ Parrish, who took time from his busy recording schedule to record a station ID for us! - Eclectic Ladyland Radio

*** - Greg Sorrels, Network Magazine

Among the best tracks are Killingbird's stellar cover of Vain's classic, "Beat the Bullet," and The Thornbirds', "Elephants and Tangerines," which has an epic feel and memorable hooks on par with great songs like "New Thing" by Enuff Z'Nuff, "Up All Night," by Slaughter, and Dokken's, "Breaking the Chains." Excellent, excellent stuff. - Ink19