alkaline trio

good mourning

'If consistency truly is the hobgoblin of little minds, then would it be an insult to say that the members of the Alkaline Trio are completely mindless?

After four albums and an endless onslaught of touring, the Alkaline Trio's fifth full-length attempt, "Good Mourning," follows logically in the footsteps of its predecessors: aggressive attacks from the guitars, smooth-surfaced harmonies, and tons of references to death and heroin.

There's a reason for formulas. Applied to the proper equation, they lead you to the correct answer. In this respect, the Alkaline Trio may be working over and over again on the same pop-punk equation, coming up with near-perfect scores every time. Many bands would be criticized and labeled as uncreative for doing such a thing, but the Trio has found some loophole that still allows them to unleash their abilities.

For these efforts, the band has been lauded as the godfathers to a new generation of up-and-coming punk kids. They have been immortalized in Emogame v1.5 (http://www.emogame.com). They signed to Vagrant and took over the helm as one of their flagship bands, and cast a goth-pop shadow over the clean-cut Vagrant. Now, they have put in their time after being a band for six years and fans and new bands alike are kneeling down in front of singer/guitarist Matt Skiba to kiss his ring finger.

"Good Mourning" separates itself from previous records because it has a new part of the formula to celebrate. Drummer Mike Felumlee, originally of the legendary Chicago band The Smoking Popes - who helped the Alkaline Trio get their start, left the Trio after "From Here to Infirmary," and was replaced by an old band friend, Derek Grant.

Felumlee's style peaked with 2001's "From Here to Infirmary," in which his newfound tom-laden approach to drumming gave a different edge to the Trio's sound. It appeared that Felumlee no longer wanted to play the role of the background rhythm man. He became much more aggressive and the band's sound became fuller. Then, he and the band parted ways.

Grant's freshman attempt with the group is reminiscent of Felumlee's older attempts, like that on the Trio's first full-length, "Goddamnit." The drumming is noticeable but doesn't leap out of the mix.

So, on the whole, it seems like the band is heading back to their roots and starting over - but they're doing it with the experience and financial backing derived from their veteran status.