Alkaline Trio GOOD MOURNING

Alkaline Trio: Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar); Daniel Andriano (vocals, bass); Derek Grant (drums).
Personnel: Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar); Daniel Andriano (vocals); Derek Grant (drums).
Audio Mixer: Jerry Finn.
Recording information: Cello Studios.
Photographer: Jay Blakesberg.
Though most of the songs on the Alkaline Trio's GOOD MOURNING don't seem to be literally about death, titles like "Fatally Yours" and "All On Black" (not to mention the pictures of crosses and white lilies that adorn the disc's packaging) suggest a rather fatalistic listening experience. In this case, first impressions are only partly accurate. Over the course of a half-dozen solid albums, the Alkaline Trio has positioned itself as a kind of anti-Blink 182; sonically, the band deals in the same stripped-down vocal harmony-laden pop-punk, but trades the lyrical frat boy frivolity for stark, serious ruminations on interpersonal relationships' most angst-ridden moments. Here, the trio continues to refine its approach, delivering every tune with a single-minded earnestness that practically defines the emo-core aesthetic.

• Genre: Rock
• Released: 2005-04-18
• Format: CD