Alkaline Trio: This Addiction (2010)

After a couple albums of more pop oriented work This Addiction is supposed to be Alkaline Trio returning to their roots. They are back on an indie record label and seem to have accepted their place as a popular but not insanely successful band. For most of their fans Alkaline Trio's roots mean a return to sound of their beloved first album Goddamnit! I personally don't hold that album in as high regard as most. I feel their best is Good Mourning and that albums sound is closer to how This Addiction sounds than the bands earliest work.

There is definitely a difference in the production on this album compared to the last couple. Gone are the obvious multiple guitar overdubs and the result is a rawer sound musically than they've had in a while. The album starts out very strongly. The title track is the best Alkaline Trio song in years, it's got a great melody and I really like the comparison of a bad relationship to heroin addiction.. "Dine, Dine My Darling" is an excellent second track as well. It's catchy and gives a nice nod to the Misfits. Other highlights include "The American Scream" and "Eating Me Alive." The former an excellent power pop song and the latter showing off the bands new wave influence.  "Fine" is also a nice slower song to close the album giving it some added variety.

The rest of the album is unfortunately not as strong. Lead Poisoning" has a trumpet part that just feels out of place, "Draculina" never seems to go anywhere and in general the lyrics don't seem as meaningful as on past releases. There's not really a bad song on here just some that seem pretty generic and tossed off. The deluxe addition has 6 extra tracks including 2 b-sides and 4 acoustic versions of songs. The acoustic version of "Dead on the Floor" is a standout and I feel it's better than the electric version included on the album proper. Also included is a 1 hour live DVD filmed in Las Vegas. It captures Alkaline Trio's live show very well. They don't really change the way any songs sound and the kids in the crowd eat everything up. It's definitely a worthy addition but not something I'll be watching multiple times.

This Addiction is another strong album from Alkaline Trio but it's not as raw or passionate as Goddamnit! or as strong overall as Good Mourning. It is better than the last couple of albums and fans of the band should be pleased with it.

Rating 3.5/5