Alkaline Trio: Good Mourning

Alkaline Trio: Good Mourning

2003

Vagrant Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing:  1.This Could Be Love   2. We've Had Enough  3.One Hundred Stories  4. Continental  5. All on Black  6. Emma  7. Fatally Yours  8. Every Thug Needs a Lady  9. Blue Carolina  10. Donner Party (All Night)  11. If We Never Go Inside  12. Blue in the Face

The band's sound shifts a bit here. It's still melodic pop-punk but with a darker, colder  tone. Keyboards start to become more present, the words black, crimson, and blood pop up with more frequency on the lyric sheet. But really, all this death and morbidity really seems like set dressing as the band's sense of humor is still present, if merely painted black.  I'd go as far as to say the biggest actual change would be Matt Skiba's voice, which is uncharacteristically raspy. Finally punk rock has its own "Dark Horse!"



I mean, it sounds like his throat is going to explode during the last chorus of  "Continental."  However, this hoarse delivery really pays off on acoustic closer, "Blue in the Face," when he asks "Your coffin or mine?" it really sounds like it might be terminal.

The band delivers one of my favorite Alkaline Trio songs with "Blue Carolina." The giddy poppiness of the chorus comes off as absolutely radiant, given its shadowy surroundings. Whenever I listen to this album I never fail to keep rewinding this track. "Fatally Yours" is also notable, in that it sounds anachronistically like one of their 90's singles. The only song that seems to make good on its threat of gothiness is the spooky  "All on Black," which winds up being one of the album's strongest (and most memorable) tracks...

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that Alkaline Trio has one of my favorite T-shirts of all time...The one where they just straight-up rip off the cover of the first Clash album and put their name on it...Respect.


Honestly, I  don't have a lot to say about "Good Mourning."  I own 10 Alkaline Trio releases and they are all, roughly, of the same quality. The two weeks I spent listening to nothing but Alkaline Trio feels roughly like the two weeks I spent listening to nothing but AC/DC. Just a dependable band that never fails to deliver a good listen...So let's listen to "Blue Carolina..."