Dan Andriano wasn't always singing and playing bass for Alkaline Trio. But you already know that. When Slapstick disbanded, he took Matt Stamps and Rob Kellenberger and created Tuesday. Their LP Freewheelin' is an undisputed classic. It took me forever to track this EP down in the days of Soulseek, so aren't you glad there's blogsearch people? I finally bought a physical copy on Ebay a year or so ago, but it came with no artwork. Folks with deep crates- does Early Summer have an insert?
For those who don't know, there are four raging songs including my favorite jam "That's Not Like Me." The version of "So Awake" is rawer and doesn't have that awesome instrumental prelude. It's betterness is hotly debated. There's snow on the ground, but early summer is just around the corner. Celebrate it properly. Get it here!
PS - I checked to make sure this is really OOP. I couldn't find it for sale on AMR's site, and I suspect they're one of the few vendors that would still have copies. 2000 pressed on black, many years ago.
One of the only new releases I bought at Mojo Music was this new Alkaline Trio record called Crimson. It must have been 2005 cuz I got it the day it came out. Anyway, I wasn't expecting much since Good Mourning let me down. At the time, I thought it topped considerably, but now I'm not so sure. Their releases post-Asian Man have been one long sigh after another- good records that are shells of what was. (See my Agony & Irony review from 2008).
Crimson has some fun songs. In "Time to Waste," lyrics like "Such a basketcase, hide the cutlery" prevent me from totally rocking out, but the music's pretty cool still. "Mercy Me" always impressed me. It felt like an Infirmary b-side. Some songs flop really bad, like "Smoke" and "Burn" (though the ending of the latter is sweet). Crimson is a nice addition to the catalog for when you want to shuffle around, but as albums go, stick with the older ones. One positive: Matt's voice sounds a lot better than on Good Mourning. 2005-Pat liked this record more that 2009-Pat does.
Asian Man Records is repressing a lot of OOP records. In fact, they're putting some records that have never been pressed into the market. I just purchased Alkaline Trio's Maybe I'll Catch Fire and Alkaline Trio on red/white and beige marble, respectively. Now, they're repressing the records that got it all started. Slapstick's 25 songs is my favorite ska-punk record. I've wanted a copy for a long time. I have an OG copy of Broken Star, but the new gray marble press is pretty cool anyway. Also, Broken Van got pressed, but I own that on cd. (I own all those Trio records on CD, but I'm kind of a sucker for the old trio stuff.)
Also! The first two Lawrence Arms records have been pressed twice! I might put photos of those up here if I can get home to take pictures. I bought the second presses.
2008 is a significant year for the Alkaline Trio.Earlier this month, Skiba and co. released their sixth full-length, called Agony & Irony.It is their major label debut (on Epic Records).2008 also marks the ten-year anniversary of their first LP, Goddamnit.Asian Man Records re-released Goddamnit with new artwork, better production, and a retrospective DVD called “Original Sin.”The package is known as the Goddamnit Redux.The proximity of the two releases serves as a reminder to diehard fans of where Alkaline Trio came from, and for the most part, how badly they’ve aged.
Agony & Irony has the Alkaline Trio testing new waters and then receding back to the comfortable beach they’ve made for themselves.I believe “Déjà vu” is the correct term, as in, “isn’t this the same guitar riff from Private Eye?” or, “I heard these lyrics somewhere on Maybe I’ll Catch Fire.”The greatest successes on the record come when they try something new.The hand claps at the beginning of “Calling All Skeletons” create a fun atmosphere that signals the end of the faux-goth vibe that hurt Good Mourning and Crimson.My question is, why not shed the goth image altogether?Why stick with the standard red-and-black artwork?Why continue to dress in suits when your best albums were written in t-shirts and jeans?Why the hell would you include a song called, “Live Young, Die Fast?”The creepy goth thing worked for Goddamnit because it was new and tongue-in-cheek.They’ve beat it into the ground by now, and it’s time to move on.
Some of the songs work, if only because Skiba and Andriano have a penchant for writing catchy songs.“Help Me” is as good a pop song as I’ve heard all year, and it stacks up with earlier material (kinda).“Do You Wanna Know?” and “I Found Away” are solid, and the middle of the record is better off because of it.
In the liner notes for the Goddamnit Redux, Asian Man Records founder Mike Park praises the thrifty and raw qualities of the original record.In doing so, he inadvertently criticizes Agony & Irony for its major label sound.Kudos Mike, you discovered a great punk band in their prime, put out their best records, made a killing, and moved on.Goddamnit is the finest Asian Man release, Alkaline Trio’s best, and a record that will speak to freaks like me for generations to come.Simply put, it’s a punk classic and the definitive Alkaline Trio album.Agony & Irony is the kind of record you put on for a few songs, and then take off the turntable to make room for Goddamnit.
Dan Andriano wasn't always singing and playing bass for Alkaline Trio. But you already know that. When Slapstick disbanded, he took Matt Stamps and Rob Kellenberger and created Tuesday. Their LP Freewheelin' is an undisputed classic. It took me forever to track this EP down in the days of Soulseek, so aren't you glad there's blogsearch people? I finally bought a physical copy on Ebay a year or so ago, but it came with no artwork. Folks with deep crates- does Early Summer have an insert?
