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Alkaline Trio - Crimson

5/24/2005

Crimson
Alkaline Trio
May 24, 2005
Vagrant

On their previous albums Alkaline Trio was an interesting punk/rock-rock & roll band and while I always saw more promise in this band than in many other bands that play a similar kind of music I don’t think they were ever able to make that as clear as they do on “Crimson”.

Finally embracing the alternative rock sound more, Alkaline Trio manages to deliver a very strong album with “Crimson”. The opener Time To Waste has an edge but the smooth, melodic nature of the song actually makes it easy to sing along to. With good guitar playing and a lot of energy the band continues with The Poison which has a killer chorus.

Songs like Burn, Mercy Me, Sadie, Back To Hell & Your Neck would be possible radio candidates as they are either quite catchy or very smooth, without losing the alternative edge. The most impressive song on the album, however, is probably I Was A Prayer, which is a high tempo alternative rocker with killer vocals and an interesting arrangement.

Alkaline Trio has already proven itself in the scene and some of the early fans who are in it for the punk/rock character of the band may even be a little disappointed with this album, but musically the band made a leap forward as this album comes across very mature, very solid and shows the band can be creative and original in its songwriting. I would say “Crimson” is an album Alkaline Trio should be very proud of.

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Alli Rogers - One

5/17/2005

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One
Alli Rogers
2005

Alli Rogers released a 5 song EP to hold us over until her next full-length will be released. This small collection of songs features mostly spiritual songs and where her debut “Always Eden” was still very much open to interpret the lyrics your own way, this is slightly harder on this EP. Musically Alli Rogers is still doing what she does best, and it’s still pure and genuine. It’s a nice little treat for us fans.

One Body
This song is obviously directed to God and faith. Therefore the lyrics don’t speak to me as much as many songs on “Always Eden” did, but there are still parts that I can project on my own life. And musically this song carries along nicely. I don’t often hear the drums in Alli’s songs, but on this song they are pretty present, but it actually helps the song. Gives it a steady, solid base.

Hard To Get
Even though this song also goes off in a spiritual direction, I actually don’t find it hard to find a secular counterpart. Projecting it on friendship, this song works beautifully too. Hard To Get is a good example of musical storytelling, as the music is very obviously accompanying the words, and Alli Rogers shows that she is very good at this.

Iowa
This is the non-religious song on the album, where Alli sings about her home state. If you replace Iowa with your own home ground, this song can have a strong meaning for you. Both lyrically & musically this song is the best on the EP, and I would actually nominate it for a radio single. It just has something catchy about it. “Back when home was a place/And I thought that growing up/Was a phase”. That exact lyric, I felt I knew. And the beautiful metaphors that are so fitting with the Iowa theme make this song excell even more.

Praise The Lamb
Praise The Lamb is pretty much a gospel-like song. I often do like the sound of gospel songs, but since I’m not very religious I don’t really connect to the lyrics. As an archaeologist it’s probably my inquisitive nature of finding out about the origins of mankind and such that made me see indiscrepancies in the stories and legends concerning pretty much any religion. Where the messages of religion are very true and admirable, and advertize virtues that modern-day society should think of now and then, religion itself has never really got a grip on me. But to get back to this song. The confession-like, vulnerable vocals & lyrics bring out the best of this song. It’s not entirely my cup of tea, but I do recognize it’s a strong song, and the piano supports it very well.

One Body [Acoustic Demo]
The acoustic version isn’t too different from the version the EP started out with. There’s not much more to say about the song than I already did. You can obviously hear this is the demo version. It’s a nice bonus and it’s kinda cool to hear the song in an earlier stage of development.

“One [EP]” is a nice treat to hold us over until the next album drops, and though it doesn’t really reach the level of satisfaction that “Always Eden” gave me, it still is something that was worth my money. Iowa is one of my favorite songs and appears on my playlist all the time. And Alli Rogers is someone who draws inspiration for her life and her music from religion a lot, and considering the honesty and pureness she puts in her music, it was to be expected for her to give us some of these songs on a record. And although I don’t usually venutre this way, I am glad I tried for this EP. Alli Rogers was one of my favorite female singer/songwriters, and she still is!

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Alkaline Trio - Crimson

Alli Rogers - One

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