Record Review: Alkaline Trio – This Addiction

For some hardcore fans Alkaline Trio may have peaked around 2001′s From Here To Infirmary. Their later releases veered from dark pop punk to something more resembling The Cure or Joy Division. In the band’s defense, I think it would be almost impossible to keep coming up with great records without exploring new sounds. It’s really hard to be a pop punk trio and still sound fresh and new.

Personally, I can’t complain about any of their past albums but This Addiction is definitely a back to basics approach. While I find the production a little slick for my tastes, it still captures the raw energy of the band. Front man Matt Skiba has always had a knack for intelligent dark lyrics and equally talented songwriter Dan Andriano and über drummer Derek Grant make a mighty rhythm section to boot. In fact the drumming is downright incredible. You can witness it for yourself on the Deluxe Edition DVD which includes 20 live songs from Las Vegas.

The album kicks off with the single “This Addiction”, a poppy song about drugs as a metaphor for love. The band sounds tight, revitalized and ready to throw out the hooks. Although it is back to basics, it’s also a step forward for the band. The songs are more concise and more tightly arranged. Lyrically they seem to be moving further away from the gothic themes of their past albums and writing more mature lyrics. I’m not sure I enjoyed that as much, but maybe I’m not willing to grow up and some of the band’s fans may agree. While I find it hard to expect them to write songs with the same vigor as Goddamnit!, the fire they once had seems to be gone.

The album is not without its shortcomings. ”Eating Me Alive” sounds like the Psychedelic Furs with its 80s synth sounds. Some of the other songs just seem formulaic. Songs like “Fine” and “Dorothy” just sound like the band going through the motions. I say this only because there are some really great songs on here: “Dine, Dine, Dine my Darling” is an awesome catchy tune with a Buddy Holly-like melody and “The American Scream” is classic Alkaline Trio, reminiscent of their early records

There are plenty of major label punk bands in their late 30s that still seem to have the intensity of their earlier work. Green Day, for instance, sounds even angrier than their debut album. Blake Schwartzenbach (Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil, Forgetters), The Living End and The Descendents all seem to have kept their punk rock intact. While hooks and melodies are always a good thing, it’s also how you play it and that seems to be what’s lacking here.

I’ve been a huge fan of Alkaline Trio since 1997, so when I hear records like This Addiction it can be sort of a let down. Overall it’s not bad, but it’s kind of like opening a box of Corn Flakes and it’s filled with some other cereal. I buy Alkaline Trio records to hear dark songs with great lyrics and hooks. It’s a package, like when you buy an Iron Maiden record, you know what you are going to get. [??? - Rube]

This record sounds like Alkaline Trio and the guys on the inside cover look like Alkaline Trio but this is not the same band that recorded a sweet split EP with Hot Water Music or sang “You won’t catch me behind the wheel of a Chrysler ever again.” Not even close. Maybe that’s why I don’t want to get married or have kids, it just ruins you.

Sure, all bands mature or mellow, but bands like Wilco, Spoon or Flaming Lips don’t make records like this on their way to the next level. They make records from the heart (that maybe people don’t understand) but still it earns them even a wider fan base. If the Alkaline Trio would stick to what they do best, they would not need a major label. All they had to do was write one dumb song for some vampire movie series and then they could release whatever record they wanted. That’s just how the game is played.