I Am The Stupid Kid (From Here To Infirmary - Alkaline Trio)

Member Name: fooyoo

Product:	From Here To Infirmary - Alkaline Trio
Date:	02/09/04 (216 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lyrically superb

Disadvantages: Heavy going for some

Downloading music for free on the internet is a contentious subject, and there are many reports that music artists are losing out because of this practice. I have to say in my case, they only lose out if their material is not up to scratch!! I heard an Alkaline Trio track by chance on a music channel about 2 years ago, and rather than be stung for the price of an album without knowing what I was buying, I downloaded some of their tracks, and was an instant fan, and it has now resulted in me buying their back catalogue, seeing them live, and most recently purchasing some DVD?s on Ebay. So downloading is bad, but this band have done well out of it from little old me!!

Out of the back catalogue, it is this 2001 Vagrant records release which I favour most. At the start of their career, they tended to release EP?s, and created an underground following, which forced them to face their moment in the spotlight when they were discovered by more and more people. The band are mysterious characters, and little is written about them, but for the record, lead singer and guitarist Matt Skiba seems the most comfortable in the spotlight, backed up by Dan Andriano, and the drummer at the time Mike Felumlee, although he has since been replaced.

Single release ?Private Eye? opens up for the band. It?s fierce opening guitar riffs put me in mind of The Foo Fighters in their finer and darker moments. The lyrics in the chorus do contain some swearing, so parental discretion is needed for younger listeners. The music is as manic as the thoughts going around in the confused mind of Matt Skiba, and you start to wonder how the band manage to get up and around each day.

?Mr Chainsaw? lightens the mood?in that the music is not as dark, and the lyrics are less intense. My take on the song, is that it is one about growing up, and trying to find your own identity whilst others try hard to mould you. ?When was it that you lost your youth or traded it for something more fo
r them to use so jaded? is a line which sticks in my head from the very first time I ever listened to the song. Skiba?s vocals take on a new quality, and there is a rawness that was not there on the opener.

Not surprisingly, with a title like ?Take Lots With Alcohol?, this is a song about desperate drink and drug addiction mostly, but the subject of depression is also tackled. When I was suffering from depression and was at my lowest, many would think that music like this would bring me further down, but it actually lifted me, and proved that music has more power than we give it credit. It sounds very clichéd when I read it back, but it is truthful.

?Stupid Kid? is the outstanding track on the album without a doubt. It was the first song to be released as a single from the album, and was the song that I heard on TV which made me want to know more about the band. It is a song about regrets, and how growing up can make you look at things from a different perspective, and is probably as close to a love song as you will get from this band whose emotions in this area are somewhat dampened.

?Another Innocent Girl? sees Andriano take centre stage, and I really like his vocals, and I can understand why he has released solo material, as he is very good as a front man. I love the chorus on this track, as I just find it so uplifting, and the lyrics really hit home. It is about relationships, and people pretending they are something they aren?t because they think that?s how outsiders should perceive them. The guitar riffs are superb on this track, and it was a close choice between this and the previous track for my top choice.

?Steamer Trunk? is the song I love to sing along to when I am driving, and it has qualities in it that make it a fans favourite when played live, and one that I heard asked for a lot when I went to see the band. The lyrics are darker than the song suggests, as the music is quite light in comparison to the opening lines
?Why you turned out the way you did, That thunderstorm still crashing in your cranium, find that all the funny faces look the same?. A shrink would have a field day with these guys!!!

?You?re Dead? is the song of the hurt and dejected adolescent, who hits out to hurt others as much as he is hurting after putting his feelings out in the open to be shot to pieces. ?Remember when I said I loved you, well I take it back??..how often have we tried to cover the hurt we are feeling by trying to pretend it doesn?t matter, I have many times. ? Armageddon? struggles to follow on from this track, and tends to get a bit lost in the track listing, and it is one of the songs which I tend to remember last when recalling the album.

?I?m Dying Tomorrow? is a quick blast of a song lasting just over 2 minutes, but it sort of clears the palette for what is to come, and that is a masterpiece of a song in ?Bloodied Up?. This is the track where the band wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, and put all of their emotions out on public display in order to try and right the wrongs they have done in their relationships. Lyrically, this is a triumph, and you totally get what they are trying to say, and then you realize that musically this is a tremendously strong track too.

Penultimate track ?Trucks and Trains? is almost beautiful in a way only a listener of this album could understand. This is a band that do not water their music down no matter how much it does not fit in with the idea of mainstream acceptability, but then there really is no need, as they are singing about real life issues and experiences, which happen to many of us reading this review every single day of our lives. Final track ?Crawl? ends the listening experience brilliantly. It addresses being in love and holding together a relationship whilst drink and drug addiction fight for your attention too. The lyric that sticks out is ?Never had a drink that I didn?t like?, and I can only imagine th
at for an addict then that is the most truthful thing they can say.

The subject matter is not always the most pleasant, and the band presents us with scenarios including suicide, relationship breakdowns and addiction to drink and drugs. Don?t let that put you off though, because this is a band that are truly talented, and are thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. They aren?t trying to be anyone else, and don?t apologise for who they are.

I am not really sure which category the band and their music fit into. Some may class them as edgy pop, but I assure you when you hear their music played live, it is anything but pop, it is rock, with a punk influence apparent, and the riffs are effective and almost instantly catchy. It may be going too far to call this a masterpiece, as it is still a little rough around the edges, but it still ranks as one of my all time favourite CD?s. If you like the music of Green Day, and to a lesser extent Blink 182, then I urge you to give this band and their music a try.

Capital letters courtesy of: http://www.chuckleweb.co.uk/fixit.php

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