Review: Alkaline Trio - Agony and Irony

Agony and Irony is the latest from Alkaline Trio, a band that I seriously have such a crush on.  There's just something about how the mix of super-duper catchy (see "Mercy Me," and "Time to Waste", just to name a couple from their album Crimson) and super morbid tongue-in-cheek humor.  It's a world where feelings dismember and love causes car accidents.  I'm talking about albums with regular references to maggots and blood, with song titles like "Take Lots With Alcohol."

"Calling All Skeletons" starts the record off with a serious bang.  It's all raw vocals and handclaps, then driving power chords.  It's one of a couple songs that are sure to spend a lot of time in my ears and brain.  "Help Me," the next song and the album's first single, is another.  It's a great choice as a single; it rocks right along in true Trio fashion and has the added bonus of containing the line "It's giving me the creeps/ A farewell to arms and legs and heads and hearts."

I didn't realize it until I had finished listening to the whole record, but I guess I was hoping there would be an acoustic song on this album, a la "Radio," "Blue in the Face," or "Enjoy Your Day."  "Over and Out" is the closest thing to it, and it almost hits the spot.
But, alas, not quite.

The handclaps on "Calling All Skeletons" were completely unexpected, and "Do You Wanna Know?" features some sweet falsetto vocals in the chorus.  It's another element that I don't think I've heard from the Trio before.

"Do You Wanna Know?" is followed by "Live Young, Die Fast," a nice rocking anthem that leads right into the cynical "Love Love, Kiss Kiss."  The chorus ("Love love, kiss kiss/ Blah blah blah") is just one example of Matt Skiba's biting humor and profound gift for melody.

There are a few songs on the album that don't really do it for me, but it's mostly winners, including a few that are going to stay in steady rotation on my iPod.

[mp3] Calling All Skeletons
[mp3] Over and Out

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