Alkaline Trio
“I Wanna Be A Warhol”
My Shame Is True (Epitaph Records)
by Scott Hefflon
Alkaline Trio‘s eighth album, My Shame Is True, recorded at The Blasting Room by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, is the current trio’s sound and style perfected. While it’s no secret they polished the punk into rockin’ teen anthems, and when they returned to their roots it kinda stunk of intention, but songwriting know-how and the brilliant production team in Fort Collins shine through here, coming out authentic and, well, FUN. While the band may be a little overly heartfelt and vulnerable in spots, the joy of playing and recording is palpable. The album starts strong with “She Lied To The FBI,” a song that offers dark catchiness here and anthemic know-how there — basically everything you could possibly ask for from the band at this stage in their career. It closes with “Till Death Do Is Part,” a tip of the hat to their previous material, showing they still got the goods. And then some. My Shame Is True breaks new ground by including a cameo from Rise Against’s Tim Mcllarth on the crowd-pleasing anthem, “I , Pessimist.” The first single, “I Wanna Be A Warhol,” is as good as any. An admission of ambition, and seeing as the band are not gritty fuck-it-all punks anymore, it’s about as honest as you’re going to get from “rock stars.” Far from spent, Alkaline Trio miss sometimes, but hit and hit true pretty often, which is saying a lot for a band going on 15+ years.
(www.epitaph.com)
For more information, check out these links:
www.alkalinetrio.com
www.facebook.com/alkalinetrio
www.epitaph.com