Alkaline Trio is one of the most beloved underground bands of the last 10 years. Releasing such classic albums as 1998's "Goddamnit" on uber-punk label Asian Man records and then releasing, in 2001, the dark, yet funny "From Here To Infirmary" on venerated indie label Vagrant, the Trio established themselves as one of the top dogs in the melodic punk world. Soon, tours with bigger bands came. A run with the then on-the-cusp Rise Against as openers on their 2005 tour set them up for bigger opportunity. In the next few years, major label juggernauts My Chemical Romance would tap them for support on their tour, and soon the major labels were writing up contracts to sign the Trio. In May 2007 they inked a deal with Epic Records, a major label. This caused problems.
As with previous underground bands that have signed a major label deal, the Trio dealt with cries of selling out and, even worse, declarations from fans that their music had changed. I would like to say these cries and this anger from fans is unjustified but the Trio did some things in the past few months that lead my speculation down another road. For one, they were on an episode of the trendy MTV reality soap "The Hills," where one cast member referred to the band as, and I semi-quote, "Have you heard this band, they're like new, or something." Then the Alkaline Trio released their signature running shoe. These guys give you nothing to work with. The thing that we have left is their new record, "Agony & Irony," to judge them as either the fashionista band that they might be becoming or the masterminds of a higher plan.
The music pulls in as a mix of both sides of this duplicitous group. The production of this album is much slicker than previous records and most of this is due to the big name producer, Josh Abraham (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Atreyu). He added slick and glitz to so many of rock's darkest figures, and more than his fair share of nu-metallers, but on this album it is an added figure to the already impressive collection of songs that are on "Agony & Irony." The songs here are an awesome collection for the most part. "Calling All Skeletons" is the pop song that My Chemical Romance couldn't write complete with handclaps, and it stands up to many repeat listens. "Help Me," "Lost And Rendered" and album closer "Into The Night" are all helped by the glitz of the production and are already on their own clever and bright songs.
The album is a bright affair, especially for an Alkaline Trio album. Don't let that fool you. The lyrics are still dark and funny as displayed by the albums best number "Love Love Kiss Kiss." Lines like "Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss, blah blah blah. / You're making me sick, I wish you'd just stop showing off" show the band's subdued hatred and disdain towards love - all while showing off their funny bones. The album is tight, clocking in under forty minutes, and it shows a band that is not "selling out." Instead they are buying into their own talent and using it to get them the worldwide audience that they deserve.
Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 7/29/08
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