Holy shit, it's here. Well, almost.
The three demonic 'bubble-gum' punkers are back with much randomly placed clapping and consistently developing goth inspirations to provide their drooling public with a worthwhile sing-along album. The Unreleased CD Fairy left me a double prize this weekend; in addition to the new Less Than Jake album, I found the album I'd been waiting months for: Alkaline Trio's brand-spanking new Agony And Irony.
If Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were dead, they'd be rolling in their respective graves right now. You didn't catch that reference did you? No, I'm not 50. I'm just full of random music information. You should know this by now.
About fifty percent of you are still lost right now. Google it.
Oh those Alk3 boys and their plays on words.
Moving on, I think we left off at the Unreleased CD Fairy and my plethora of punk rock presents. Agony and Irony has solidified Alkaline Trio's continued progression away from the pop-core tendencies of classics Goddamnit and Maybe I'll Catch Fire, away from the bouncy-quick drum tracks of From Here to Infirmary, hell even away from the maudlin tendencies of Good Mourning. There's a bit more of a consistency with 2005s Crimson, with both albums exuding a sort of nostalgic horror-pop.
I want to give a special 'kudos' (not the granola-candy bar) to Derek Grant for some spectacular drumming on this album -- it really helps establish some power behind those unique hooks, some of which sound they might sink without the anchor of strong backing drums. And Matt Skiba...your vocals are back with a vengeance. The one thing that I think Alkaline Trio fell away from but has come back to in a big way is the vocal chess match between Skiba and Andriano. Somehow, it feels real again, albeit in a different way than old Alk3.
I've got a feeling this album is going to grow on me in a big way. Only time will tell. Oh, and this will hopefully be the last Alkaline Trio post for a long time.
For all you unspecial people out there who don't believe in the Unreleased CD Fairy -- you can pick up the album July 1st. You gotta believe. Clap your hands. Keep clapping.
"There's a killer on the corner and he's looking for love / he's....looking for love / yeah, he's looking for you, my love."
- Matt Skiba, "Calling All Skeletons"
