Band Review: Alkaline Trio

Yesterday I referred to bands being around for a while having a lot to go through. Alkaline Trio has amazing output, even considering their nearly two decades together. Because of this I have not been able to cover everything in the depth that I would have liked.

It was still a pretty good trip. My disclaimer is that my introduction to the band was with "Mercy Me" - one of my favorite songs - off of Crimson from 2005. I heard it in 2013, so was late to the party anyway, but it was still a product of a band that had been together for almost a decade, and had grown.

What I am getting at is that it is a recent discovery how gloriously, refreshingly punk they were at the beginning. Based on the time period for when it was happening, that makes sense, but it was still fun to find. I'm sorry I missed it then.

That being said, they can still do punk, but they have really broadened their sound, where you can hear other things as well. I think it shows a nice deepening over time. I like the straightforward rock, but then there are touches of synth on "Prevent This Tragedy", and "Emma" reminds me a bit of Elvis Costello, and so extended sequences of listening to them (hypothetically where you are trying to cover everything in a week) do not get boring.

I am also impressed with the newest album, My Shame Is True from 2013. Despite now having almost two decades of experience, there is a yearning in the tracks that sounds youthful and fresh, where it could be very easy to get jaded. With Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano doing solo work, the band members continue to challenge their selves. It's not going to get stale.

There are currently no dates scheduled for Portland, but they do have some dates in California in June, so this review is filled with positive thinking that they will hop up north as well.

http://alkalinetrio.com/

https://www.facebook.com/alkalinetrio

https://www.youtube.com/user/AlkalineTrioOfficial

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqubUTGL-Gq8yIYeug2TQog

https://twitter.com/Alkaline_Trio

***And with this I have now reviewed my 200th band. So far the main takeaway is that music and bands are awesome, which makes sense because they go together. It's not really profound, but I feel strongly about it.