Alkaline Trio
“Damnesia”
(Epitaph)

Like Saves the Day and the Get Up Kids, Alkaline Trio has a storied history with their fans and while they always seem to be popular, finding anyone who freely admits to liking their post-“Good Mourning” output is few and far between.

“Damnesia” is an interesting record that definitely reflects the strengths and weaknesses of Alkaline Trio.

Admittedly, I love this band, even their newer stuff, however, I feel like their biggest downfall – basically writing the same chord progressions over and over again – is also their biggest asset. There’s a familiarity to Matt Skiba’s songwriting and while he’s no Kenny Babyface Edmonds, he knows what works in terms of melody, which is why I’m always confused as to find out why people don’t like the Trio’s latter-era releases.

Back to the album, which is essentially a greatest hits compilation, but done in an acoustic style. Since the induction of Derek Grant, the band’s songs have a gloss to them, which works for trying to vary these old tunes stylistically.

The album also contains a couple new songs, but it’s “Olde English 800” that feels most like an old Alkaline Trio song. It’s about drinking and, therefore, it’s awesome.

I really like this album. It gives a bit of a different dynamic to the songs and it’s actually made me appreciate the last two albums a bit more. It’s worth a purchase whether you’re an old fan or if you’ve only heard of them because they were on “The Hills.”

— Ryan Pangilinan