This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.
Vagrant Records- 13 May 2003
“Tomorrow who knows where we’ll be”
Despite my taste for whiskey over stouts and lagers, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for songs of love turned cold and beer gone warm. Alkaline Trio are largely responsible for that. While Godammit may be the fan favorite album its Good Mourning that had the best billboard sales position. The followup to From Here to Infirmary took everything great about the alcopop-punk sound and cleaned it up without watering it down, turning it into a slick and remarkable album ready to finally bring the Trio from indie-darlings to commercial success… and I fucking hated it for that. As a self-accredited expert and gatekeeper, I was too stubborn and punker-than-thou to admit how wonderful the record was back in 2003. Guess its true that “tomorrow who knows where we’ll be.”
20 years later, though, the album and I have had some time to ferment together and now every track goes down smoothly every time you decide to knock it back.
I still think this is the album where the trio got a little heavy handed when pouring out the pop in their loaded cocktail of sound, but that simple riff in “This Could Be Love” plays the role of hair-of-the-dog before the radio accessibility of “We’ve Had Enough.” The trio, as always, play the role of strong mixologists, shaking up our glasses to find the perfect balance between soaring anthems, racing tempos and lyrical plunges into the abyss.
Mourning is the first record to feature Derek Grant behind the kit and along with the musical influences he brings forth, it is also the record where Andriano’s songwriting outshines Skiba’s for the first time in their discography. Despite the inebriating strength of Skiba’s tracks, “We’ve Had Enough” and “Fatally Yours” Andriano took a massive step forward, with cuts like “100 Stories,” “Every Thug Needs A Lady” and “Blue Carolina” proving he was no lightweight in the songwriting department. It wasn’t long before he would be going shot for shot with Skiba and both would be able to drink their contemporaries under every table..
My first listen to this record I felt pangs of disappointment and anxiety as the band pickled their sound in pop sensibilities. As time went by I began to realize and embrace the musical growth of the Chicago trio, and enjoyed the ascent as the band pub-crawled its way to the top of their genre. In the well stocked bar that is the Alkaline discography, this record belongs on the top shelf.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
