Alkaline Trio – This Addiction

I’m not sure what it is about most punk bands, but they have a tendency to mature with an amazing level of grace. There are some exceptions to this rule, The Offspring in particular, who have a tendency to succumb to the whims of the “flavor of the week” inklings and churn out subpar albums.

Alkaline Trio, on the other hand, has only focused on improving their songwriting and musicianship while maintaining their signature sound in the process. The upbeat song structures paired with negative viewpoints and self-deprecating storylines are what make Alkaline Trio so endearing.

To put it in a sonic oriented timeline, This Addiction fits in somewhere between From Here to Infirmary and Good Mourning.  The “complex” (read as, over-produced) musical embellishments and song styles from Crimson and Agony & Irony are gone, but replaced by awkward vocal cadences and intricate lyrics. For the original fans, this is a welcome change as it harkens back to a time when Alkaline Trio focused on straight-ahead punk rock as opposed to heavy-weight, cumbersome songs (that doesn’t make them “bad” per se, just different).

As far as the individual songs themselves there are some interesting highlights to be found. “Lead Poisoning” (aside from the inclusion of the trumpet during the bridge) is probably the most straight-ahead song with an accelerator-to-the-floor feeling that doesn’t let up until the end of the track. “American Scream” is an interesting take on the conflict overseas as it’s told from the viewpoint of those of us waiting for it to be over, but we’ve all but given up on holding out hope it ever will.  The rest of the songs focus on the highs and lows of relationships (“Fine”, “Dead on the Floor,” “Dine, Dine My Darling,” and “This Addiction”) told from the point of view that only Alkaline Trio posses.

Over all, This Addiction is a more than welcome shift back to what made the band stand out from their peers—smart, simile-laden lyrics with the swagger of guys you want to hang out with. Best tracks to blow-out your speakers to:“American Scream,” “This Addiction,” “Dead on the Floor,” “Off the Map,” and “Eating me Alive’.


 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Reporter
 

 

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