Alkaline Trio
From Here To Infirmary

THE REVIEW

This Alkaline Trio album was released in 2001, a year after "Maybe I'll Catch Fire," during a fertile period for mainstream punk, with Blink-182, Sum 41, and let's add Green Day to the list, topping the charts. All this was happening in the mainstream spotlight, while simultaneously, albums like this were being released, which, though not heavily publicized and more underground, were simpler in approach and impact, managing to craft a more complete and interesting work than the aforementioned bands.

For some, this marks the definitive rise of the band. Indeed, if not the group's best, this "From Here To Infirmary" is certainly among the top two.

12 pop-punk songs where some tracks are a bit faster and others slower and more melancholic, fully in line with the band's style.

The singles that made the album known are the wonderful "Private Eye" and "Stupid Kids" (a pretty classic and easy-going track). In particular, the former, with its light-dark tones and well-suited mid-tempo, convinces right away, presenting itself as a classic Trio song characterized by the dark/melancholic and cheerful/catchy contrast that emerges in the verse-chorus alternation. Already with this song, a bit of their manifesto, perfectly synthesizing their style and way of playing, one can notice the great differences with more famous and well-known bands like Blink-182, Green Day, and Yellowcard. Even though they make the same type of music as the alkaline ones, they are decidedly more predictable than the Chicago trio, which proves to be much more original and creative both musically and in their songwriting.

"Armageddon" is also very good, where you can appreciate the touch and technique of the excellent (now former) drummer Mike Feumlee, fast and enjoyable and lent for the occasion to the skate video game Tony Hawk, and "Mr. Chainsaw" (literally Mr. Chainsaw) with lyrics about this man going around chopping bodies for no reason; another noteworthy song with very fast rhythms and a high-energy drum. "Bloodied Up" and "Trucks and Trains" are also very convincing, continuing the compositional thread of "Private Eye," both characterized by remarkable tempo changes and good melodies. The same standards can also be found in "Another Innocent Girl," which goes from slow and melancholic to fast and vice versa.

Meanwhile, a drum solo kicks off "Take Lots with Alcohol," characterized by a broken rhythm. The only slight misstep in an otherwise excellent album is "I'm Dying Tomorrow" with its bland rhythms that don't quite convince. Also worth mentioning are the more classic and pop-punk oriented "Steamer Trunk" and the slow tempo of the closing "Crawl," which in arrangement may remind one of the wonderful "Radio."

Ultimately, an album that establishes Alkaline Trio as one of the best bands in the American pop-punk scene and beyond, with "From Here To Infirmary" standing as one of the best pop-punk albums ever produced.