I visiting my friend from High School last week, and we were reminiscing about music and stuff. Eventually we started talking about how, as you grow older, some people tend to stop listening to new bands, and stick to the stuff they are used to. I don’t know how accurate that is, but for me, that is true. I don’t listen to the radio, so I do not hear any new up and coming bands. Instead, I use my iPod, and it just happens to be filled with only older bands. Anywho, what I’m trying to say is that due to this, I do not buy many CDs these days, and will only do so if a band I have liked for a long time comes out with a new album. Thus, when Alkaline Trio’s new album “This Addiction” released this week, I had it pre-ordered, and it got delivered today.
Alkaline Trio are an odd band. I can’t really put my finger on why I enjoy listening to their music…I just do. Their music was always a little “darker”…a little out there. Or at least that was the case until their previous album “Agony and Irony”, in which their music took a lighter side, to a degree. It was not as aggressive, and I enjoyed how the band matured to where they were. Their new album “This Addiction” continues this new phase in the band’s life.
The tracks on “This Addiction” have a similar sound to those from “Agony and Irony.” They are a little faster, a little lighter, and also a bit catchier. If their was an older song of theirs that I did not enjoy, I would just skip it, or leave it off my iPod all together. However, this is an album that will remain on my iPod in its entirety simply because all the songs have catchy instrumentals and pleasant lyrics.
I am not a die-hard Alkaline Trio fan, so I do not know how this (or the previous) album was received by fans. I say this because, having listened to and enjoyed all their albums, I see the huge shift they have made from their earlier works, and I do not know how others feel about it. I for one enjoy the album, and it will definitely be getting a lot of playtime on my iPod.
