Review → Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire (2000)
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Welcome to part 2 (of 5) of Chicago Week. Wherein I talk about notable albums to come out of the Chicago scene. Today, we take a walk down one branch in the Slapstick Family Tree mentioned yesterday, to Dan Andriano’s next band with Matt Skiba and a rotating cast of drummers, the Alkaline Trio.
Maybe I’ll Catch Fire is the band’s second album, following their now-legendary debut on Asian Man Records, Goddamnit. The earlier album is rightfully lauded as a landmark record. But what about the follow-up?
The album kicks off with the anthemic “Keep ‘Em Coming,” which sets the tone for the album; darker lyrical content than Goddamnit, and generally faster than that album as well. The music has a somewhat darker feel, as well; the second song “Madame Me” is effective at creating a gloomy, evil-feeling atmosphere.
As per usual, the vocals are traded off between Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano. Their voices are pretty distinctive, and by this point the singing seems to be assigned based on their well-developed sense of who fits which song. Dan takes lead on “You’ve Got So Far to Go” and the title track, and I can’t even imagine Skiba singing either of those. It wouldn’t work very well.
This album has a number of songs which would become both fan favorites and live staples over the course of the Trio’s career. Nothing more fits that description that the album closer “Radio.” Covered by various artists over the years (most notably by Hot Water Music for their Jade Tree split with Alkaline Trio), it contains what may be Skiba’s weirdest lyrical image; the song opens with the line “Shaking like a dog shitting razorblades.” Uh, ok. Sure. But the song is a classic, and builds from a slow, quiet number to suddenly breaking open into an all out rocker.
This album is part of the Trio’s winning streak; Goddamnit, this, and their self-titled collection of their other songs from compilations, 7″s, etc. comprise an amazing collection of music that any fan of punk rock should have as part of their collection. The Alkaline Trio helped shape modern Midwestern pop-punk with their dark anthems and alcohol-soaked lyrics, and this stands as perhaps the best of that early work.
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