|
Review Navigator   FeaturesContestsReviews
| Alkaline Trio / One Man ArmyBYO Split Series Volume 52004 BYO 
 Review by: Aubin See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
BYO Records (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on April 23rd 2004 Reviews of splits are hard. Somehow there is this innate temptation to make it into a competition between the two bands. It's an easy way to approach it, just focus on who is the better of the two, and turn it into a play-by-play commentary, sign your name and move on. Of course, sometimes you run into the tricky situation of two bands who produce something of equally high quality. One Man Army and the Alkaline Trio have done exactly that with the release of this split. Take the Trio, with their first real release since last years Good Mourning, a record which evenly polarized fans, with myself falling into the less than completely enthusiastic camp. BYO's fifth split sees the band return to form. The most immediately noticeable aspect is how much Matt's voice has regained it's strength, but more importantly than that, the Trio continues their streak of releasing consistently high quality material for splits and compilations. Reunited with producer Matt Allison, who was responsible for almost all the bands recorded output, the bands sounds perfectly recorded. Unlike the somewhat unflattering production by the normally consistent Jerry Finn on Good Mourning, this split boasts a thick guitar sound, and both Matt and Dan's vocals balance perfectly with the instrumentation. On production alone, the Trio's tracks sound incredible. Musically, the band seems to be amalgamating all of it's previous experimentations into a more mature sound. Touches of Hell Yes, From Here to Infirmary and Maybe I'll Catch Fire are present on the tracks which are a little less aggressive but completely compelling. The band manages to play tribute to two of it's heroes (three if you read into it). Joining Matt on “Dead and Broken” is Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun, an undeniable influence on the Trio. Also contributed is a cover of The Damned's “Wait for the Blackout” - an unimaginative selection from a band with such a diverse catalog - but certainly well executed. The highlight of the Trio's contributions is “Sadie”, an anthemic ode to one of Charles Manson's “progeny,” a track which shares some errie parallels to the Misfits' “She.” After the Trio's fairly dark half of the disc, the One Man Army tracks seem positively prozac-fueled. The biggest difference between the bands BYO and Adeline full lengths and their contributions to the split is certainly the amount of emphasis on Jack Dalyrymple's unique voice and vocal inflections; a voice which has typically been more hidden in the mix, or layered under gang vocals. In comparison to the bands last record Rumors and Headlines, the tracks are a little poppier, but still maintain the bands perfectly modern tribute to the classic punk sound. The six songs are among the catchiest and most addictive the band has ever put to disc, and will undoubtedly win this vastly underrated band some much deserved attention. “All The Way” is especially memorable, beginning with chords on a piano, before breaking into some of the best melodies on the split.
It's hard to find any fault with any of the tracks on the disc, and frankly I can expect that this will rank among BYO's best
and biggest releases, and with good reason.
People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
alkaline trio is great as usual. i love one man army. i just recently listened to dead to me's "cuban ballerina" that is great too. I'm one of the biggest A3 fans you will ever meet, and when I bought this split I really didn't know too much about OMA. After the dissapointing "Wait For The Blackout" from A3, I flipped the record and gave OMA a listen... from the first couple seconds of "TV Song" I was addicted to them. Now I listen to the OMA side of things more often than the A3 side. When I do listen to the A3 side... I remember why I got the heart inked on my forearm. Words of advice... buy this record now! The Alkaline Trio songs are bloody great. The Alkaline Trio side is great but OMA side isn't really doing much for me but i do like them and will buy some of there other albums to get a true reflection of their music. "Sadie" is a very fine song, indeed. I just saw alkaline trio last week and they, like this album kick ass...but the real deal here is found in one man army. I'm kinda glad that most people don't see the glory in their classic style, that way i wont have to deal with 15yr old skanks at their shows! yippee I really enjoy the Alkaline Trio side of this disc. However, One Man Army really did nothing for me. This album is fuckin amazing- some of the best stuff alkaline trio have produced. Fuck everythin they produce is awesome- as for one man army again they have probablly recorded some of their best stuff on here too. This is quite good- oldpunker- "really if i could rate this even more i would rate this 20 out of 10!!! alkaline trio is an amazing fucking band!! there shit is the best!!! i my self havn't been to much of a one man army fan, but this split cd showed me how good they are.. i can't wait to hear alkaine trio play this new stuff at the Warped tour in Milawaukee(the good land) alkaline trio kicks ass!!!! Both these bands are over produced shit. The 5th BYO Split should of had better bands.I'm really annoyed. I remember seeing OMA in Minneapolis and before the show I walked in on the lead singer in the bathroom doing his hair and thought to myself "Who is this freak? He looks like he lives out of a van... and begs for money to see the punk shows" I was shocked to discover he was the singer in one of the bands opening for NUFAN. I must say they sound damn good on this album, they have really progressed over the last 4 years even with his pseudo-brit accent. i though alk3 had more class than to do a split with these guys alkaline trio are one of those strange bands where i only like a couple songs here and there So I haven't listened to Alkaine Trio since 2001. They were good, but then I listen to this and it sucked. "vibe with it" hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ah The Trio has done it again, another collection of breath-taking songs so catchy it's impossible not to sing along or vibe with it! Alk trio is for college freshman. I wish the New Bomb Turks weren't broken up. two bands that are kicking my ass lately really if i could rate this even more i would rate this 20 out of 10!!! alkaline trio is an amazing fucking band!! there shit is the best!!! i my self havn't been to much of a one man army fan, but this split cd showed me how good they are.. i can't wait to hear alkaine trio play this new stuff at the Warped tour in Milawaukee(the good land) alkaline trio kicks ass!!!! The Alkaline Trio need to start writing good songs again for their regular albums. "Good Mourning" was sub-par, but their split material is awesome. Never been a OMA fan, really. I think this site has more positive reviews than pitchfork because this site lets to many fanboys review their favorite bands. Great stuff from Alkaline Trio... Yeah, this site has a lot of negative reviews, but then again, it has TONS of "5-star classic" reviews on it too, for albums that are so not close to classic at all. I think Aubin or Adam said in their Rancid 2000 review, "This is the first record I can solidly give 5 stars." But people go to these crap shows or review unknown bands, and praise them like there's no tomorrow. I think this site has more positive reviews than pitchfork because this site lets to many fanboys review their favorite bands. When I first heard that this split was to becoming out, along with Alkaline Trio having a track on the Rock Against Bush comp ( "Warbrain" which kicks ass), and recording their next album after the summer, I was a little apprehensive to what this would sound like ( how much GOOD material could a band continue to put out without having some medicore stuff?. After hearing "dead and broken" a few weeks before this was released, I was very impressed by the track. When I recieved this split, at first listen it sounded slightly different. Lyrically it's up to par , as no other band in the world writes better lyrics. Musically, it's more of a straight foward rock approach, then their previous punk-er efforts. "Dead and Broken" and "Sadie" are the top tracks. The Damned cover of 'blackouts' is pretty good too, the other tracks are ok at best. As for one man army goes, I expected alot more. None of their songs are bad by any means, but none of them stand out at all. As a whole this isn't a bad CD, but it's probably my least favorite out of the Alkaline trio library ( and this is coming from a diehard fan with their logo tatooed on his arm). A quick look through the reviews archive shows plenty of negative reviews. We just don't get off on it like some people. Bring back Tuesday! My jebus! First off I have to say "sadie" is the best song ive ever head. I love both of these bands maybe thats why im freakin out but god damn, best cd in awhile. DONT MISS OUT! I wrote a pennywise review that caused a shit storm "Seriously, there need to be tests to pass on whether you can review here or not, I'd like to see one negative controversial review on here just once.." Good , but definitely not the Trio's best work. i hate matts songs. i seriously do. i wish dan would have just kept tuesday. ever person says the same thign on this website with reviews, i went with the store to my mom. Dan's voice is amazing. I love both bands. Thumbs up. Especially OMA is a realk great and far too underrated band with. let's be honest with ourselves. 1/5 Although I like Alkaline Trio, they definatnly do not write the best lyrics. They right GOOD lyrics though. I haven't heard this split yet, but I personally think 'Good Mourning' is the best Trio album. Yeah, I said it. I was always on the fence with them, until FHTI, which piqued my interest (I like about 2/3 of it). I still cannot get into 'Goddamnit', and MICF is alright, which was my first Trio record. 'Good Mourning' is just a good dark punk rock record. Oh, and Jerry Finn is very consistent with this record, the guitars are great. alk3 good, one man army bad. Best Trio songs in some time, on par with their OIL and Atticus comp contributions. Thank god Matt Allison recorded them. ive never been much of a trio fan and this dint change my mind. to each their own. Guess what! BOTH these bands suck! 75% of this review was about Alkaline Trio, which I don't agree with. I'm not too into Alk Trio, I like my shit more raw and traditional. Alkaline Trio has NEVER put out one bad album, or song for that matter. The music is amazing and the lyrics are fantastic. Matt and Dan are the best lyric writers out there today. But is 'Dead and Broken' about Lacie Pederson? Good Mourning was good but these songs are way better! the Alkaline Trio are once again one of the best punk bands around! damn good split. For the first time, I can say for myself at least that Dan has outdone Matt. Both of the dan tracks (2,5) are amazing, track 2 being arguably (w/ myself) my fav. Dan song ever. Matt's are solid, but not his best work, but still above average. They stuck to their classic sound, toned the production down (thanks to matt alison i bet) and did a little something new ('if you had a bad time...'and 'sadie' are a little departure from their normal sound, sadie sounding a bit like something off of 'maybe i'll catch fire'). its outstanding, get it. the OMA side is decent, ive never really been a big fan of theirs, track 9 is damn good though, i think thats the one mentioned in the review as the most memorable...it is.. Great review. I plan on picking this up soon...maybe it will help restore my faith in Alkaline Trio. Alkaline trio will rock your panties off! |
