Alkaline Trio “Damnesia” – Alkaline Trio is arguably one of those bands that has been in an “old stuff” rut for the better part of a decade. That is to say they’re a band with which fans have grown attached the old material while being not quite as pleased with the new stuff. So while on the one hand a “reworkings” album may seem like a good idea, as it helps the band avoid too much new material, it is doubtful that many old fans will like the idea of the band tampering with the classics.
That said, Damnesia starts by making a damn good case for itself with “Calling All Skeletons,” reworked to be semi-acoustic like much of the album, meaning it has a mostly acoustic vibe, but there are clearly some electronic augmentations going on with the album. But after that stellar intro, Damnesia is hit and miss.
Damnesia – another album title so cheesy bad it’s good from Trio – offers 15 tracks. Twelve of them are these reworked classics, with two “new” offerings and a cover of Violent Femmes’ “I Held Her in My Arms.” And it has its moments. The opening of “This Could Be Love” gets nice and creepy, while the piano and synth of “The American Scream” is another great example of the atmosphere Alkaline trio is capable of creating.
None of the reinventions are terrible; they’re just not as good or engaging as the originals. In fact, Damnesia is a great collection of songs, performed well, but holding its own mostly because the original material was so fantastic. The “new” tracks, “Olde English 800” and “I Remember a Rooftop” are both underwhelming, despite the former being an ode to booze. And “Olde English” isn’t strictly new, just set to record for the first time. Ultimately, Damnesia just doesn’t seem necessary. It’s good, and die-hard fans may get a kick out of hearing the songs stripped down, but there have been better acoustic albums, and better Alkaline Trio efforts.
The artwork with the album’s vinyl release is engaging, featuring a modified version of the Alkaline Trio logo as the sound hole of an acoustic guitar, and Matt Skiba’s tattooed fingers on the back. But there’s nothing else particularly special about the packaging. The records – Damnesia comes on three sides of two LPs, with the fourth featuring the logo – sound great (though the production overall is a little too clean for my taste), but the records only come in black, and the center art isn’t anything worth noting. It’s a shame that a record release of old material doesn’t come with more extras, but much like the reworkings themselves, it isn’t bad design, just underwhelming. Also, the lack of a download code is a damn shame, especially when fans are already paying for rehashed material.
Review by: Bill Jones
Sound/Press Quality: 4/5
The Album: 3/5
Artwork and Packaging: 3/5
Vinyl Collective boards
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“the records only come in black” and brown, yellow, and clear