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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, June 30, 2008 Liner notes: Alkaline Trio review The new album from Alkaline Trio is expected in stores Tuesday. "Agony & Irony" Alkaline Trio WHY CARE? After palilng around on indie labels for a decade, Chicago's second biggest emo-punk band -- after Fall Out Boy -- make the leap to a major label for its sixth studio album. TRIVIA: Lead singer and guitarist Matt Skiba, who has discussed his membership in the Church of Satan, has a penchant for dark puns. Songs on the new album include "Live Young, Die Fast," and "In Vein," a track sung by bassist Dan Andriano. HIGH POINT: The album opens with the solid one-two punch of "Calling All Skeletons" and lead single "Help Me." Both are loaded with guitar and hooks; the studio trickery and keyboard effects that marked the group's last album has mostly evaporated. FANS ALSO LIKE: Punk rock, bad puns, black eyeliner. ANDY SAYS: While Alkaline Trio remains the dark yin to Fall Out Boy's yang, most of the gloom comes out in the lyrics. The songs have easy-to-approach pop hooks, and the album itself opens with hand claps. While "Agony & Irony" runs out of steam by its close, overall, the group's sound remains intact on its Epic Records debut. GRADE: B minus Andy Rathbun, Herald Columnist, arathbun@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3455

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