Alkaline Trio: Agony & Irony

Alkaline Trio: Agony & Irony Agony & Irony is Alkaline Trio's sixth studio album and first album for Epic Records. In the decade plus of Alkaline Trio's existence, Matt Skiba and company have made a name for themselves by combining elements of punk and emo and mixing it with gothic imagery. Agony & Irony is really no different. This particular album seems to deal a lot with suicide. The first single from the album is "Help Me" which is about deceased Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis. "Over and Out" is about a man who shoots himself in the head and his last words are "over and out". The thing that has always bothered me about Alkaline Trio is their imagery is always a metaphor for relationship woes. When deal with the sticky subject of suicide, making it a metaphor for relationships seems tactless at best. Their recent signing to a major label also seems to come out in this release with the band sounding more polished and poppy then ever. The appeal of Alkaline Trio was always the contrast between their sound and their lyrics, but on this album the difference is almost too great. I'm far past the point of trying to call bands out for "selling out". Alkaline Trio has been doing its thing for years before My Chemical Romance came around and cashed in quickly with almost the same formula, but something about old Alkaline Trio seems so much more appealing than Agony & Irony. Rating: 4.2/10 MP3: Alkaline Trio "I Found Away" Buy: iTunes, Insound