Late Night Music with Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio - "This Addiction"

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I recently had a discussion with Paddy K about Alkaline Trio's upcoming release. We were discussing how Alkaline Trio was one of THE band's we listened to in high school. Now that we have aged so has Alkaline Trio, but what remains is there constant songwriting style. For better or worse is up for debate.

I am one who never expected Alkaline Trio to be more than what they already were, a definitive pop punk band. They existed before shit bands ruined the genre and turned it into teeny bopper cry fests (see All Time Low, Good Charlotte and a ton of other copies with neon clothes and glue spiked hair) without substance or heart. Alkaline Trio have always had a knack for writing catchy tunes with sing along choruses filled in with simplistic leads. And that is why I love them. They fit a certain niche in my catalog.

With their latest release "This Addiction" I am becoming concerned. Not because Alkaline Trio have lost a step, quite the contrary, I think it is because the production has increased its saturation of their sound. The greatest tunes by Alkaline Trio were on indie labels with production that highlighted Skiba's guitar tone while still luring the punk out of their songs. An example of this are classics, "Bleeder", "Radio" and "Goodbye Forever" all which have an element of grittiness lacking in their later efforts. Nowadays I have trouble knowing what is guitar and what is some manufactured sound from an overly paid producer.

Alkaline Trio are great at what they do, I hope on this release they get to do that which makes them great.

I am Frank Chow and I approved this message