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alkaline trioFORMED IN Chicago in 1997 by then-bicycle messenger and drummer (now frontman) Matt Skiba, Alkaline Trio have survived multiple line-up changes (current drummer Derek Grant is the band's third), geographical difficulties (Skiba now lives in LA, while bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano remains in Chicago) and an elongated period of out and out booziness (as evidenced in many of Skiba's older lyrics) to be one of today's most unusual, distinctive and accomplished melodic punk outfits. They may have started out as an underground pop-punk band with an emo edge, but the band's fifth full-length 'Crimson', released to great fanfare in 2005, saw them emerge polished and ultra-professional, moving away from the relationship-based lyrics of old and focusing on all things dark, a trait they first fully explored on third album 'From Here To Infirmary', and have since developed more broadly thanks to Skiba's Satanism and gothic tendencies. They may be a more mainstream prospect now, but they still have the respect of many of their older, more underground fans, thanks to their uncompromising attitude. 
Name: Good Mourning
Label: VAGRANT
Year: 2003
Review: SKIBA MAY have been plagued with problems during recording - breaking bones skateboarding, losing his voice partying and having his house burn down - but Alkaline Trio's fourth full-length captured all of their key elements to stunning effect. Blood-soaked poetry, relationship trauma and delicious melodies all sat alongside each other, never once resorting to cliches. One of the most important punk albums of 2003. 
Name: From Here To Infirmary
Label: VAGRANT
Year: 2201
Review: WHEN AN album's opening line is: 'I dragged this lake looking for corpses' you know you're in for a good time. Their first release for Vagrant Records was the moment Alkaline Trio emerged from the underground wide-eyed, drunk and willing to give it a go. They were embraced thanks to a combination of sharp, emotional, but witty lyrics and a knack for uplifting and insanely infectious pop sensibilities. 
Name: Goddamnit
Label: ASIAN MAN
Year: 1998
Review: EMERGING IN a pop-punk scene that had become stale, predictable and contrived, the 'Trio's debut was a beacon of hope in a sea of baggy pants and fart jokes. Rough around the edges but driven, catchy and emotionally raw, this showcases Skiba's haphazard and brutally honest early approach to songwriting. Ask the older fans and they'll tell you this is their favourite A3 record. 
Name: Alkaline Trio
Label: ASIAN MAN
Year: 2000
Review: THE AUTOMATIC assumption is that, since this is a compilation of EPs and B-sides, it's going to be rather disposable. In reality, this 13-tracker features some of the 'Trio's most important moments (the 'I Lied My Face Off' EP remains a masterstroke), as well as enduring live favourites ('My Friend Peter' for example) and a stunning cover of The Cure's 'Exploding Boy'. Skiba recently told Kerrang! that fans regularly tell him this is their favourite album. 
Name: Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Label: ASIAN MAN
Year: 2000
Review: In an interview conducted at the end of 2001, Matt Skiba admitted to Kerrang! that Alkaline Trio's second album was written and recorded under enormous strain, thanks to his turbulent relationship with then drummer, Glenn Porter. "Sometimes that kind of tension helps with songwriting," he said. "That time it didn't." A few extraordinary moments - most notably the stunning 'Radio' - are scattered amongst a largely unexceptional record.
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