Thumbnail...

In February of this year File 13 released a pretty awesome compilation of material from one of the best post-hardcore bands that existed in the mid-nineties, Thumbnail. The compilation, which is titled A Careless Act of Faith, collects the bands early and out of print singles, their split with Harriet the Spy, and few other rarities and demos. All in all a very nice compilation of material that would be a bit hard to obtain now days otherwise.

Thumbnail was originally formed in Knoxville, Tennessee with members Jason Morris, David Burns, and Justin Sinkovich. Under that lineup the band would release a couple singles, their Self-Titled album in 1994, and their split with Harriet the Spy in 1995 all through label File 13, which member Burns originally founded. After doing the split the band signed with Headhunter records and recruited bass player Steve Schmidt to add to the already existing lineup. Headhunter immediately put out a remastered version of their Self-Titled album, which sadly leaves off the track “Hajj” from the original version. Never fear though, the track can be found on the recent compilation, yet another good reason to pick this up. But anyway, not too long after that the band finished up the recording of their second album Red Dead with Mark Trombino of Drive Like Jehu fame and it was released in 1996 through Headhunter.

After relocating to Chicago the band started work on a third album called That Static. The album wouldn’t be finished until 1998 and by that time members of the band had become preoccupied with other projects. Most notably, Sinkovich and Burns could be found spending most of their time playing in Atombombpocketknife. With that it inevitably led to the band splitting up and the album got put on the backburner until File 13 came along and released it in 2001. The release of the album also sparked the band to get back together for a tour to back the album; however the tour couldn’t go on due to the events of 9/11 happening shortly before thus resulting in transportation issues that would make the tour impossible.

Throughout their years together though, the band put out three excellent albums, each one slightly different than the other. I personally favor their self-titled record which I feel has a slight charm due to its sort of grittier production sound, but really any of their albums are solid.

Thumbnail:
Thumbnail – Straight to Zero [MP3]
Thumbnail – Risk and Return [MP3]

Red Dead:
Thumbnail – General Observations [MP3]
Thumbnail – Bullshit Detector [MP3]

That Static:
Thumbnail – Lesson in Mind [MP3]
Thumbnail – Superhero’s Trick [MP3]

A Careless Act of Faith:
Thumbnail – Soundproof [MP3]

A Careless Act of Faith and That Static are currently available for purchase over at File 13 and I think the bands first two albums are still available through Amazon, whether it is used or new…your choice. Anyway, definitely pick up a record or two if you’re digging the music. Enjoy!