Various Artists – Alkaline Trio Tribute

  • Bobby Gorman posted
  • Reviews

Various Artists

Alkaline Trio Tribute - Pacific Ridge Records

Tribute albums are always very hit and miss. There are the artists whose experimentation loses the integrity of the original. There are those who provide a mediocre cover that sounds like a bad karaoke version. This project popped up months ago when they were trying to find funding in a unique way. The result of that is a diverse range of musical quality throughout the 39 songs.

Well known artists like Punchline and Jonah Matranga help to balance out numerous unknown bands. The large number of tracks allows for covers from multiple Alkaline Trio releases, which is a bonus. It also allows for forgiveness for the weaker tracks. With 39 tracks for a decent price, it is hard to complain; especially when the original songs were strong enough to hold up to even the weakest covers.

Alkaline Trio fans will likely have mixed feelings about the various songs. Weatherstar cover “Radio” with a smooth poppy edge that denies the dark lyrics. Koji provides a beautiful, sparse version of “She Took Him to the Lake.” Straight Outta Junior High sound like classic Blink 182 covering A3, which may or may not be a good thing. Punk rock mecca Sweden is represented by Future Idiots and their great version of “Sadie.” Into It. Over It. bring the folk with a quiet “Message From Kathlene,” which utilizes pretty female harmonies and simple acoustic guitar to effectively rework a classic. Not every track works as well though. Spontaneo start things off with a by the numbers cover of “Clavicle,” which is a brave choice that they don’t quite pull off with their raw pop punk sound. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business may be one of the better known names on the album, but Ace Enders should have tackled “Southern Rock” with the Early November. Bongos and strange harmonies make for the strangest song on the album. The Wonder Years “Cooking Wine” doesn’t live up to either band’s reputation.

This album is worth the price, even with the few missteps. The large number of songs helps to showcase the diversity of bands that have been influenced by the legends in Alkaline Trio. Of course, they do the songs better. That isn’t the point. The point is to pay tribute to the music that has touched so  many different people over the years and it comes off as a success.