Alkaline Trio Album: “Crimson”

Anytime I read a review of any band & someone says "Why can't they make an album like..." & they spout off the bands first 3 records, or maybe even just the only other album they know by the group, I wonder... HUH? Change can be good... with the exception of the Ramones most acts that churn out the same record year after year burn out & are forgotten. The men in the Trio are not the boys of the pre-Good Mourning Trio... Besides being compared to yourself & prior acts can be both complimentary & insulting. You love Goddammit when I was 20 & I didn't really know myself or my craft, yet you think I'm boring now because I won't write another song about being and or getting hammered? Ye old catch 22 i guess.

Bottom line, The Alkaline Trio write damm good songs. I think it gets lost in the process because they also write some fine music as well & that seems to be what most folks notice first & tend to latch onto & don't want it to change..

"you had time to waste, and I'm not sorry

such a Basket case, Hide the cutlery."

"Intending to burn, pretending to fight it

everyone learns faster on fire."

& the very Westerbergian (that's Paul!)

"like the pills in your hand I'll never let you down."

It would be nice to see albums judged on their own merit instead

of on notions that bands owe the listener the same album over & over because they themselves either don't won't to move on or are incapable of it.

I stumbled across this latest Alkaline Trio LP and I must say that I enjoyed it as a whole. Even though I am a Mid-West native, I'm not all that familiar with the band. I know that the staple `Goodbye Forever' is an Emo anthem and I know that many fans are as die hard as Phish followers, but not much beyond that. Being said, I found the first three tracks on Crimson to be outstanding: `Time to Waste' has grown on me rapidly, the harmony between the constant piano and the big-time riff remind me of Van Halen's `Right Now.' `The Poison' shows flashes of the Trio's former punk side with brilliance, while `Burn' has Alt Rock anthem potential--quite a contrast from what the band has produced earlier in their career. The rest of the album has its daylights (`Sadie'--excellent, almost Easy Listening) and its dimmers (`Prevent This Tragedy'--too plain), but still pretty consistent. Quite frankly I'm surprised that this LP has been received so quietly. Not that Alkaline Trio has made much noise in their career, mostly nosing around the Mid-West small scene for the better part of the last ten years, but if there's one album that has the potential to be a break out, it's this. I find I hard to believe that `Time to Waste' obtained such a small amount of success as a single whilst low quality numbers, `Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams' and `Photograph' for example, get all the accolades.

ok first off, the only reason i gave it 4 stars is because it just isnt as good as the previous 2 records they released.

i know alkaline trio has changed, but they still make great music. no one can deny that they are talented. i remember when i first heard time to waste when the record was about to come out and i was so excited cause it was so good. then i bought it and i was obsessed with it for a few weeks, until i only started liking a select few songs. i still enjoy listening to it from time to time, but i'd prefer good mourning or from here to infirmiry any day.

1. time to waste - 10/10 - a solid track, one of my favorite trio jams to this day.

2. the poison - 5/10 - lazy guitar riff, boring jam.

3. burn - 10/10 - this is also an awesome song. really sad, yet powerful at the same time. this could easily be the best song on the cd

4. mercy me - 7/10 - i dont understand why they made this song a hit. its boring, barely catchy, and i personally dont like it. its WAY overrated.

5. dethbed - 9/10 - back to another good song. this song is musically creative and highlights skiba's writing progression. this is still a favorite of mine.

6. settle for satin - 7/10 - this song is ok, only as good as mercy me though. i dont really hate it, but its not one of my favorites and definitely not the best this cd has to offer.

7. sadie - 9/10 - this is a happier sounding song from the record and is one of my favorites. its creative and an amazing song. i never skip this one

8. fall victim - 7/10 - another boring song on the album. they should've left this one out

9. i was a prayer - 8/10 - probably the best song dan sings on this cd. it reminds me a lot of "emma" from good mourning.

10. prevent this tragedy - 7/10 - this one sounds like fall victim, but a little better in my opinion.

11. back to hell - 8/10 - this was one of my favorites when i first got the cd. its a pretty catchy song. i really like the verse, its really eerie.

12. your neck - 8/10 - this song sounds like band is just trying too hard to be dark. its still a good song, but the lyrics should've been changed to fit the song better

13. smoke - 8/10 - probably the most mellow, and saddest song on the cd. a lot of string instruments play in this one. its not really a bad song, but definitely not the best way to end the album.

well theres a summary of each track. if you've heard time to waste and you liked it, chances are you'll like this one too.

I have read a lot of the reviews for "Crimson" and I saw the same thing happen to my favorite band a couple of years ago. Die hard fans blasted AFI for moving past its hard core roots. But AFI grew as musicians and songwriters and produced in my opinion the best rock album of all time with "Sing the Sorrow". Alkaline Trio seems to be taking the same route and it pays off. I read a lot of criticism about the guys moving more toward a pop rock style and getting farther away from the "One Man Army" punk style. "Crimson" starts off with the first 5 of seven tracks that are good enough for extensive radio and video airplay. Time to Waste, Poison , Burn (my personal favorite), Mercy Me, Sadie..... The list just goes on. This album is head and shoulders better than "Good Mourning" which was a good album. "Crimson" is just plain great.

If you're not a huge Alkaline Trio fan then you will love this cd. The music is incredible, the vocals and harmonies are awesome, and the the production is great. The only reason i gave it four stars instead of five is because the lyrics aren't what they use to be on their older cds. It use to be that every song would give me the chills, and i would be amazed by their lyrics. That only happens for a few songs for me on this cd. They seem to be all about the fire the last couple of cds, and i don't really think that's all that cool. I like the songs such as aurora a lot more. These are the songs that seem to be coming from the heart, rather than just trying to be cool. Anyway with that said i still love this cd, and can't wait to listen to it. I've still yet to find a trio song that i dislike.