It was a long time coming, and we weren’t sure if the ALKALINE TRIO would make it there, but Crimson, the group’s fifth full-length, skillfully separates the band from the pop-punk confines that have marked the previous eight years of their existence. Ignoring the group’s 2003 transitional album, Good Mourning for just a moment, Crimson’s leap in style from 2001′s From Here to Infirmary is fairly akin to the kind of progression that GREEN DAY made between their 1998 album Nimrod and 2004′s mega-selling opus, American Idiot. The old shell has been left intact, but has been infused by the release of fresh blood. Stronger, bolder, and sequenced immaculately, Crimson is a beautiful score of music. A few things about this album immediately captured my attention on the first and second listens: Matt Skiba’s voice has returned to top form and has never sounded better; Dan Andriano’s vocals are mixed perfectly against the rhythm section, and no longer stick out with any shred of awkwardness; drummer Derek Grant sings too; the production quality is huge, but organic (which could not have been said regarding Good Mourning); the new re-recorded version of “Sadie” is slower, but more dramatic; and the guitar hook to the fifth track, “Dethbed,” is frankly, mesmerizing. Like a moth gravitating helplessly into a flame, Crimson’s drastic improvements from Good Mourning had me both stunned, and immersed. ALKALINE TRIO’s general break from pop-punk has included the pointed use of piano and keyboards, the seldom string arrangement, and some percussive flourishes. These elements remind me of the ideas THE CURE experimented with on their groundbreaking release, Pornography, and the manner in which they enhance the album’s dark, chamber-like feel (especially on the reworked “Sadie”). Other parts of Crimson however, are pure ‘TRIO, especially the eighth track, “Fall Victim,” which matches a thick chorus with Skiba’s well-sung line, “I’m wasting my breath, we’re wasting out time.” It’s the kind of sing-a-long part that would have fit seamlessly anywhere in the group’s discography, and it satisfies that innate craving that we all like to hear something familar, even when presented with impeccable progression. Towards the closing of Crimson is the mid-tempo strummer, “Prevent This Tragedy.” This track, with its up-and-down style incorporates flashy strings before picking up the beat but remaining dour with oddly rhymed lyrics. Although not quite filler, it seems that this song was neglected in fleshing out its place on the album. Fortunately, the follow-up, the swift “Back to Hell,” (which hits with the kind of fury not seen since Goddamnit), straightens the course, and secures the group’s position that they haven’t given up on fast material altogether. My reactions to Crimson, and the band’s previous album, Good Mourning could not be more distinct. In the case of the latter, all I wanted to do was make excuses why, as a fan, the album didn’t match up to the group’s classic, From Here to Infirmary. With perhaps the stigma of being branded “the next big thing,” now behind them, Crimson comes with no baggage attached. Oh sure… the emotional turmoil that has nested in their lyrics for all these years is still there, in modified form, but overall, the ALKALINE TRIO have fashioned this release to be their most confident, and fans , from the most casual, to the most dedicated, will savor every moment.

Vagrant

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