Sounds Eerily Familiar
July 2nd, 2008 - Written by stevek
Alkaline Trio: Agony & Irony
You could be forgiven if you don’t know Alkaline Trio, but can’t help feeling you’ve heard them before. They’ve been around for close to 13 years, and they’ve had a revolving door policy when it comes to the band’s lineup of musicians. They’ve had some partial success, but never really done anything to distinguish themselves from the fold.
However, their music has appeared here and there: they’ve had songs on a Tony Hawk videogame and a couple of compilation albums, notably ‘The Rocky Horror Punk Show’ tribute to Rocky Horror, and ‘Rock Against Bush Volume 1′ and ‘Plea For Peace Volume 1′.
Perhaps their status as an also-ran band stems from the fact that, musically, their sound is as interchangeable as Lego with acts like Blink-182, the Foo Fighters, Green Day, Sum-41, and Harvey Danger, from whose song, “Flagpole Sitta”, the Alkaline Trio seems to have taken the title of this latest effort.
It’s a shame that absolutely every song on ‘Agony & Irony’ sounds in some way, shape or form, like any of the post-Grunge rock that’s come before. The songs here are well performed, played and produced. The problem, the failing, of this album is that it is wholly unoriginal and completely musically irrelevant to the direction rock music is moving in, these days.
Songs like “Live Young, Die Fast” could have been written fifteen years ago, about River Phoenix’s death, back when the catchphrase in question was at its most relevant; “Calling All Skeletons” could be a B-Side to +44’s “When Your Heart Stops Beating”; “Over And Out” could have come from Green Day’s ‘Nimrod’ album, and so on. The agony is that this band obviously worked hard on this album; the irony is that the songs on this album are completely lacking in any relevance or originality.
Alkaline Trio: Agony & Irony
Sony
Steve’s Rating: 5/10
Sigur Ros: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Sigur Ros is one of those rare gems in music: an act that manages to be popular without singing a single lyric in English. In fact, I can’t think of an act out there who garner more acclaim or a more loyal fanbase that don’t perform in English.
Their music is best described as ethereal; Jonsi Birgisson sings in a haunting falsetto, and their music is, at least to this Geek-boy, evocative of Tolkien, though I’ll be the first to admit that comparing music to literature is like comparing apples to tennis rackets.
Their music is often melodic and mournful, always haunting, always surreal, eerie. But their latest album, ‘Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust’ is a departure for them; as they drift away from the strings and haunting symphonics of previous work, and are relying much more heavily on acoustic guitars and drums. The departure isn’t unwelcome, though it is surprising. The music seems more upbeat than melancholy, and surprisingly melodic and rhythmic.
If you’re used to their eerie melancholy, there’s no cause for alarm. There are still songs on here that recall their previous efforts. This isn’t ‘Ok Computer’ Radiohead versus ‘Hail To The Thief’ Radiohead. This is Sigur Ros, just trying something new. As usual, unless you speak Icelandic, you will have to take Jonsi Birgisson’s voice as a syllabic instrument and make due with the notes of the music as your guide, but if you have enjoyed previous Sigur Ros music, I’m fairly sure you will enjoy this one as well.
Sigur Ros: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
XL Recordings
Steve’s Rating: 9/10
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