Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction

The new decade kicks off with an album from Chicago punk veterans, the Alkaline Trio. Now, I love the Trio. Skiba, Adriano, and drummer Derek Grant will always end up on my list of most anticipated new album, regardless of previous efforts. And previous efforts have not always been pretty. We remember Crimson, right? Right. And 2008′s Agony & Irony wasn’t a whole lot better (though it was better). So, with their promise to deliver a sound closer to their roots in mind, how is the latest from these guys?

Quite good, it turns out. The record is overall more driving and aggressive than Agony & Irony was, true to their words, more closely aligned with their earlier material than the direction they appeared to be going. True, there are synths on the album, and even a horn adding a bit of color to “Lead Poisoning.” But neither are negatives; the song with the most prominent use of the synthesizer- “Eating Me Alive”- is probably my favorite on the album. It has the feel of a punk rock Stars, if that makes sense in your head. Trust me, it works.

Skeebz manages to avoid some of the lamer cliches that have started to seep into his lyrics over the years. You know what I’m talking about; the touches of gothy subject matter that’s made them such a hit with the Hot Topic crowd. And I say this despite really liking “This Could Be Love” from Good Mourning. “Draculina” is the big one I can think of where he lets that tendency run wild, and the song itself leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully, this is the exception rather than the rule.

The real tragedy of this album is that of its eleven songs, Dan only sings three of them. That guys definitely needs more time on the mic, and he’s sadly underused here. His three contributions- “Dine Dine My Darling,” “Off the Map,” and the closer “Fine”- are definite highlights, particularly the latter two songs. Apparently, if you shell out for the “deluxe” edition/download, he has some additional songs among the bonus content. So that’s something. But I guess fans of Dan Andriano will have to wait for a full-length from his solo side project, the Emergency Room.

So, overall, I think this is an Alkaline Trio album that fans will enjoy. Is it the return to form that fans of Goddammit and Maybe I’ll Catch Fire have been waiting for? No, this is more along the From Here to Infirmary/Good Mourning lines. Not a new classic, but a damn fine addition to their catalog, and one of my favorites so far this year.

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