Alkaline Trio: This Addiction

Alkaline Trio: This Addiction

2010

Heart & Skull/Epitaph Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. This Addiction  2. Dine, Dine My Darling  3. Lead Poisoning  4. Dead on the Floor  5. The American Scream  6. Off the Map  7. Draculina  8. Eating Me Alive  9. Piss and Vinegar  10. Dorothy  11. Fine  12. Kick Rocks  13. Those Lungs  14. This Addiction (acoustic)15. Dine, Dine My Darling (acoustic)  16. Dead on the Floor (acoustic)  17. Fine (acoustic)

This album seems to be a self-conscious return to the more straight-forward punk of their earlier releases. It mostly works, due to the band adding a few new touches (like the NOFX-y trumpet solo on "Lead Poisoning" and the "Pictures of You" style chimes on "Dead on the Floor") and their undying devotion to delivering hummable melodies.

But it's not all late-90's nostalgia....There's a section of tracks near the end that strongly recalls their more recent work, and these end up being my favorites!  "Draculina" has a great Gothic atmosphere, reminiscent of the Damned, and a killer chorus to boot. And I LOVE Matt Skiba's zombified vocal performance on "Piss and Vinegar" and the big blocks of space between the riffs...Dan Andriano closes out the album with the moody piano ballad "Fine." Fine indeedy! But as much as I enjoy these, it is undeniably fun to hear the band loosen up and kick up the tempos on the more old-school material. The title track is fun as hell and "Dead on the Floor" brings back warm memories of "goddamnit."

The version I own has 6 bonus tracks, which consists of two outtakes and four acoustic songs. I have no idea why "Those Lungs" wasn't included on all versions of the record. I would have gladly swapped "American Scream" or "Dine, Dine My Darling" for this one...The acoustic tracks are nothing Earth-shattering but they're a nice diversion...and they kind of ready you for their next album "Damnesia..."

But we'll get to "Damnesia" tomorrow...Today we rock out to "This Addiction."