Alkaline Trio Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Major-label debuts from punk bands usually all follow the same route, and end up sounding polished and produced. But with Alkaline Trio six full-lengths into their career, it could be assumed that they would be immune to any sort of big sound alteration on Agony & Irony, their first offering for Epic. Besides, Alkaline Trio already polished things up a few albums ago -- the raw, drunken rants of their past didn't make it very far past Asian Man Records. So the fact that Agony & Irony is overall a moderately paced affair featuring songs more pop/rock than pop-punk isn't such a surprise; it's simply a logical progression from Crimson. It might be slightly disappointing that some of their raw edge didn't return -- and the lyrics are effective, if not quite up to the cleverness they've shown in the past -- but at the same time, the continued polish isn't necessarily a bad thing; there are some pretty great songs here. Opener "Calling All Skeletons" is a perfect pop song -- complete with handclaps and hip shakes -- tailor-made for soundtracking the reckless house party scene of a prime-time teen drama. "I Found Away" skips along to a shuffling drumbeat courtesy of Derek Grant underneath modern rock guitars, while "Help Me" throws everything it has to Matt Skiba's expressive vocals. The latter song seems to set the standard, since although Dan Andriano chimes in on almost every melody, he noticeably only takes lead on a handful -- as on the lonely vintage pop of "Love Love, Kiss Kiss" -- which is a far cry from earlier albums where the split was almost even. Agony & Irony continues with the blood reds, black nights, and images of death that have become part of the band's trademark, but the guys also inject a few songs with some undercurrents of hope through the haze, which is, admittedly, a nice touch. And there seems to be an equal amount of contentedness as misery in this set, which does suit the aging band. But even so, it's a little hard not to wish for more of that edgy bitterness to creep back into the songs, roughing things up a bit and adding some excitement to the mix. The album is still enjoyable and damn catchy in spots -- but knowing as much as we do about this talented trio, it seems like it could have been so much better. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Crimson is the best next step for Alkaline Trio. It keeps Good Mourning's blacks and reds and crack melodic sense. But it's also much more accessible with its measured aggression, rich piano (courtesy of Jellyfish and studio veteran Roger Manning), and production from Jerry Finn, who's worked with blink-182 and the very-relevant-to-Alkaline Trio Jawbreaker. Like those groups Alkaline Trio has grown away from punk-pop; they've grown up. On 1998's Goddamnit!, Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano let out rowdy "woah-woahs" and wished things like "I wanna wake up naked next to you." But then that happened, and the other side of the bed wasn't as pretty. By Mourning they were dealing with death metaphors and painful levels of self-medication. Crimson has a similar sense of emotional brokenness, but things never get so heavy that you'll need the goth eyeliner -- the album's pop sense glimmers steadily beneath its dour shroud. "Poison" and "Time to Waste" downshift into powerful choruses despite lines about dead eyes and meaninglessness, "Mercy Me" and "Dethbed" rock self-hate and cynicism over propulsive beats, and "Prevent This Tragedy" incorporates a keyboard descent that's a perfectly pretty foil for a line like "the flames of hell they give me hope." As great as Alkaline Trio are at relating their booze and blood-spattered lives to listeners, it does get a little tedious. But Skiba and Andriano's interlocking harmonies never flag, and the band's rhythms are just too catchy throughout. Let's see. They're writing smart, bright, punk-derived pop, but they're black and white and blocky-featured, and they like Depeche Mode much more than Duran Duran. That settles it -- Alkaline Trio are the bizarro-world Killers. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Good Mourning is the handsome if dark-eyed offspring of the deliberately melodic From Here to Infirmary LP and Alkaline Trio's more raucous earlier work. Whether or not the band "sold out" (or whatever) when Infirmary arrived with the stamp of ambitious indie Vagrant, the set nevertheless seemed forced. For Good Mourning, Derek Grant replaces Mike Felumlee behind the kit, joining the grating-like-gouda voices and ringing guitars of Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano on the AT's second Vagrant outing. It's an album that kills with catchiness. Though "This Could Be Love" details the steps a jilted lover would take to off him, Skiba's melodic sensibility is hard not to hum along to. Similarly, the triumphant final key change of "Continental" makes its bitter farewell to a suicide victim easier to swallow. This dichotomy between deathly fascination and darn-right pop sensibility continues throughout Good Mourning. Despite making one take a few extra looks at the black and red lyric booklet, it also points to the Trio's newfound confidence to weave its tortured pathos untreated into punk-pop hair shirts for teenagers everywhere. The laughs continue with "Emma" and "Fatally Yours," which features the classic couplet "You crashed your car through the front door/I pulled you from the wreckage/You told me that you missed me/But you meant with the grill and hood." Unlike their doe-eyed emo-punk peers, the Alkaline Trio's take on true love is closer to love-hate. "Donner Party (All Night)" is a snow angel in a blizzard of punk-fueled melody, where the dried blood looks black on the nighttime snowpack. Finally, a glimmer of hope shines from a crack in the mortuary curtains. Good Mourning closes with the plaintive acoustic number "Blue in the Face." The song's last line is a grudging request, but one that admits the faults of both parties, and accepts them as a better reality than the death wishes, dour proclamations, and damning dreams of sunlight that dominate the majority of the record. But even as the coffin closes, anthemic melody reflects in the blood pooled on the floor. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'From Here to Infirmary'
Release Date 4/3/2001
Tracks 12
Label Vagrant
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Maybe I'll Catch Fire'
Release Date 1/1/2000
Tracks 10
Label Asian Man
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Alkaline Trio added some extra gloom to pop-punk with their almost perfect debut, Goddamnit! Spinning tales of doomed romance, this Chicago three-piece hit too close to home with its stories of obsessive crushes, messy breakups, and alcoholism. Lyrically, Maybe I'll Catch Fire follows in the footsteps of Goddamnit!, while staying true to the elaborate but emotional tone of aggressive pop-punk. Not as essential as the Trio's previous efforts, but it would be difficult for any band to follow up an album like Goddamnit! ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The debut full-length from this Chicago three-piece is hands down the perfect listening in the wake of a broken heart. Featuring ex-members of 88 Fingers Louie and Slapstick, Alkaline Trio combine harsh, emotion-filled pop-punk with sappy, heartfelt lyrics that don't go beyond the point of corniness. Crowd pleasers such as "San Francisco," "Message from Kathlene," and "Clavicle" define the trio's sound of catchy pop riffs and the occasional harmonies while having enough energy and pickup to take out the aggressions of anyone's bad day. In the same package, acoustic-filled angst such as "Enjoy Your Day" and "Sorry About That" can push the right buttons to appeal to any hard guy's sensitive side. It's rare that a band such as Alkaline Trio can make love songs appealing without being labeled as "wimpy" or "generic," and Goddamnit! is the record to erase those labels. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
