From the darkest depths of emo music, Alkaline Trio are charging up again.
Since their inception in 1996, Matt Skiba and the boys have been wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and allowing their fans to really feel what it was like to be heartbroken, depressed or angry.
It's the passion and truth in their lyrics that many Alkaline Trio fans love, and it's no different on their latest Vagrant Records release, "Remains."
"Remains" is a collection of B-sides, rarities and a couple extra live performances for fans who don't have the complete collection or are just too lazy to download them off of the Internet.
Though the release is a compilation of tracks not available on the group's LPs, the tracks stand strong. B-sides off of their latest album "Crimson" such as "We Can Never Break Up" and "Don't Say You Won't" would have fit in just as well, if not better on the album than the tracks selected.
The emotion in lead singer Matt Skiba's voice and his incredible lyrics bring the listener right into his own skin as he recites tales of heartbreak on the song "While You're Waiting".
"While you're waiting/Be thankful for your fingers/I'll be fading/With the colors of your pictures/'I'm not crying wolf,' you whisper,/'I'm really dead this time..."
The real selling point of this compilation is the collection of live material on the CD and the DVD. Included on the CD are live versions of "Deathbed," "I'm Dying Tomorrow" and an acoustic version of "My Standard Break from Life." These live pieces have a high recording quality and the four members bring their live show to the headphones like only they can do.
The package also contains a DVD, complete with videos from "From Here to the Infirmary," "Good Mourning" and "Crimson," as well as nearly 45 minutes of never-before-seen footage including live performances and videos of the band members being themselves backstage.
This compilation may not be a great place to start for novice, post-"Crimson" Trio listeners ("Good Mourning" is a better starting point). But for both casual fans and devotees of Alkaline Trio, this compilation is worth the price just for the DVD alone.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
