As is customary for those of the blogging persuasion, I have fashioned a list which ranks my favorite records of the year. Beyond the usual “these are my personal favorites” caveat, let me say this: my memory is not what it once was, and I probably missed a few things that I listened to a lot in the earlier part of the year. But I think I caught the most important stuff. To wit:

10. The Gaslight Anthem -- American Slang
These guys have been known to take heat for pilfering from better bands’ back catalogs, but this was the most purely pleasurable release of the year for me -- relative nutritional value notwithstanding. TGA improve upon the basic foundation they built on their first two records, moving further in a pure roots rock direction. Which is fine with me; the numbers here that lean more heavily on the pop-punk format that was once the band’s bread-and-butter get old the quickest, while interesting detours like “The Diamond Church Street Choir” propel American Slang into “classic” territory. And the title track, invigorating and heartbreaking in equal measure, sounded better than anything else this year while barreling down the highway at ludicrously unsafe speeds.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBfvkow7IiY

9. Rick Ross -- Teflon Don
It’s not often that I long for a luxury vehicle, but Teflon Don just doesn’t sound the same pouring out of the cheap system in my ’96 Honda. This is a record that demands the finest audio technology -- it’s the opposite of a headphones album. This is music you just gotta share with everybody within a city block; it was my go-to jam whenever I wanted to feel young, black, and rich for an hour. It also rendered all the accusations about Ross’s authenticity (or lack thereof) totally moot. Do you feel this? Of course you feel this. It’s fucking huge.

8. Motion City Soundtrack -- My Dinosaur Life
Just as the rest of their middle-aged emo compatriots were getting dropped by the major labels that signed them in the mid-aughts, MCS up and signed to one. Then they made possibly the best record of their career, a widescreen epic about getting dumped, going crazy, and falling asleep to Veronica Mars. My Dinosaur Life surveys the wreckage of a damaged life with clarity and honesty, shying away from neither uncomfortable insight nor big pop hooks; it’s a beautiful dark twisted fantasy for sixteen year olds who dream about finally becoming emotionally numb. But it’s also the single best reason I heard this year for keeping the faith.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC_HwM5nSYU

7. Wolf Parade -- Expo 86
The best part of any Wolf Parade song is the moment when you finally unlock the warped logic of it and figure out a way to live inside the noise; Expo 86 offers thirteen such sonic puzzles, of varying degrees of difficulty, and you’re forced to play, to wrestle, until Spencer Krug is screaming “I’ve got you / Until you’re gone!” Now that the band is on a hiatus that will probably prove permanent, we can look back and study exactly what went wrong, why these guys never exploded the way they should’ve. Expo 86 finds Wolf Parade clicking again, after the somewhat bungled At Mount Zoomer; they’re loose and free but still on an organic path of rock convention, busting out huge choruses and thorny instrumental interplay. This is a confusing record, an uneven record, a record that offers no easy answers for the difficult questions posed. But the truth is there, in the grooves; you just need to hang out long enough for that shit to reveal itself.

6. Deerhunter -- Halcyon Digest
It’s easy to poke fun at Bradford Cox when he, for instance, releases four albums of demos in a single week; a mammoth feat of ear-pleasing, to be sure, but also an act of almost unbelievable indulgence. Fact is, the guy earned it; “Helicopter,” this record’s centerpiece, is the hands-down best song of the year, and also the saddest, and the most beautiful, and the most troubling. Cox has overcome the inherent shyness of his physical condition and truly unleashed the beast within; luckily for us, the beast is really cool and compassionate and makes heart-breakingly awesome rock albums. Halcyon Digest is the most cohesive thing Deerhunter has yet released; it cannot be broken into chunks or segments, it must be devoured whole, like Zeus’s cock.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RzpPrOd-4

5. Welcome To Ashley -- Beyond The Pale
Sometimes a record feels like a gift; Beyond The Pale comes wrapped in a brown paper bag, grease spots rapidly forming. It’s the freshest and sharpest thing to come from Chicago in awhile, blending moody new wave bass lines with rambunctiously open guitar lines that recall REM at their most mysterious and wild. The critical ingredient, though, is Coley Kennedy’s voice, wide and deep and imperial; I could listen to the guy’s stories all night long. Beyond The Pale delivers everything you could realistically expect a rock record recorded in 48 hours on analog tape to deliver, and more -- the disc opens with the huge, balls-out “fuck you” of “What A Day It Was For Dying,” ends with the anguished whimper of “End Of The Line,” and in the middle we get pure lust (“Thursday Afternoon”), romantic comedy (“I Love Monday Mornings”), and stories from the scene (“The Catbird Seat”). And it’s all set to tough barroom rock that doesn’t skimp on chiming tunefulness. The band somehow combine petulance and wisdom in the same basic kernel of humanity, and it is wondrous magic to witness -- especially live.

4. The National -- High Violet
If Boxer didn’t make you sad enough, you’ll love High Violet -- it’s the year’s most satisfying comedown record, buzzing with glitchy accents but grounded by warmth and sadness. I didn’t initially take to the record’s kitchen-sink approach, and I still prefer the National when they strip their music down to its essential humanity (see: “Gospel,” from Boxer) and just let melancholy subsume them. But High Violet is a triumph in its own right -- it’s more lighter-waver than fist-pumper, with big ballads that feel ocean-deep and detail-rich while remaining universal. The National were set for a big coming-out party with this record, but they decided on a funeral instead. The result is darkly intoxicating.

3. Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs
Arcade Fire don’t do small; they refuse to whisper when they can yell, and most of the songs here feel archetypal, like they were fashioned directly from the original Rock Blueprint. The Suburbs is overlong, and it all gets a bit samey in the middle. But when these guys hit, they hit harder than most anybody else -- witness the Abba-on-steroids that is “Empty Room,” or the sweet-but-furious “We Used To Wait.” And the penultimate track, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),” is positively apocalyptic in its breadth and power. Probably the bougiest record of the year, but also the most comforting; Arcade’s Fire greatest achievement, thus far, has been to consistently deliver slightly off-kilter records that don’t do everything they’re supposed to but come off like masterpieces anyway. The Suburbs might be their finest hour yet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L6ZFhZVOx0

2. Kanye West -- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Between the songs presented here and over the course of his free G.O.O.D. Friday series, this was Kanye’s year -- again. Every time this dude steps out, he does something new and completely changes the face of hip hop. Could this be the first truly “adult” rap record? I would argue so, and not just because of the Prince-esque guitar smeared all over it, or the compositional maturity of “All Of The Lights” and “Lost In The World.” My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy presents a fully-formed portrait of the artist as a libertine in (almost) total thrall to his id, but it also comments (smartly and hilariously) on issues of power, relationships, and race. With the exception of “fake humility,” is there anything Mr. West can’t do?

1. LCD Soundsystem -- This Is Happening
My fascination with James Murphy has grown exponentially stronger as he’s rolled out more material; the dance-punk of his first album was good for a few Busched up laughs, Sound Of Silver offered an alternate theory of growing older at the exact moment I started thinking about that kind of shit, and now This Is Happening captures the coked-out, red-eyed zeitgeist of 2010 better than any other record this year. The simplest and most immediate pleasures offered here require no explanation -- the synth explosion a few minutes into “Dance Yrself Clean” is an excellent primer on the power of dance music, and the moment in “You Wanted A Hit” when the slinky, moody intro crossfades into the real beat remains breathlessly exciting even after 1000 plays. But this would just be a great dance record without the electric heartbeat powering “All I Want,” “I Can Change,” and “Home” -- probably the three most affecting songs Murphy has yet penned. Is this the end of LCD Soundsystem? Probably. Could they have gone out on a higher note? Unlikely.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xT6cdfP_cM

Honorable Mentions

Drake -- Thank Me Later This could’ve been a classic -- contrary to popular hater myths, dude is actually a gifted rapper and singer. Thank Me Later is a bit “meh,” thanks mostly to a weird sense of pacing that puts too many slow songs up front and beats that are too smooth for their own good. But the sheer amount of introspection here is promising, both because this is a hip-hop record and because, once Drake grows up and has a little more self to examine, the results will probably be flat-out amazing.

Kid Cudi -- Man On The Moon 2: The Legend Of Mr. Rager The final three songs here make a case for the rest of the record as deliberate, highly-stylized ugliness with a purpose -- it’s only at the end, when Cudi finds himself all alone and wondering when he became a ghost, that all of the coked-and-weeded madness becomes retroactively poignant and borderline tragic. I don’t know if this guy is full of shit or what, but why would anybody pretend to be this sad?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICaTsTkBPV8

Nicki Minaj -- Pink Friday Am I disappointed that this is more Robyn than Rah Digga? Of course. But it’s a pretty good fake dance album all the same, and “Dear Old Nicki” uses its corniness in important ways, revealing a vulnerable side to Ms. Minaj that just makes her fierce motherfuckin’-MONSTER stuff all the more impressive and, frankly, frightening.

The Walkmen -- Lisbon This would’ve made my top 10 proper if the National hadn’t dropped such a dazzler; I’ve always felt the two bands are kin in some elemental sad-white-guy way. Lisbon is another more-than-solid entry in the Walkmen’s catalog -- it builds on the strengths they’ve previously displayed while being paced better and featuring a few welcome doses of levity. There’s not one stand-out song here to rival “Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone” or “The Rat,” but these guys have officially established themselves as one of the premiere “album” bands of our generation. Lisbon is the very satisfying sum of some really magnificent parts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn6kgnshjvo

Alkaline Trio -- This Addiction Eh -- I’m contractually obligated to enjoy this stuff. Are Alkaline Trio getting better or worse as they age? Their seventh albums delivers this answer: they are staying the same. The band promised to get back to the basics, like they always do, and this time they delivered: 11 ace pop-punk numbers with zero filler. And a couple of these tracks (“Dorothy,” “This Addiction,” “Kick Rocks”) actually stand with the Trio’s best work.

Vampire Weekend -- Contra Haters be damned; Vampire Weekend got bigger and better in 2010, starting the year off perfectly with this collection of horchata-fueled bangers. Contra features better songs than the debut but struggled to match the thrill of discovery, and I would say these guys came closer than we had any right to expect. And the band weathered the inevitable backlash admirably, actually daring to grow more obnoxiously upper class in their lyrics and poise.

MGMT -- Congratulations With the notable exception of the unwieldy, nearly unlistenable “Siberian Breaks,” MGMT’s material was weirder, cooler, and just plain better this time around; instead of centering the album around a few really great songs, the decidedly hip duo elected to create an entire record of album tracks. Was it a test for all the people that hopped their bandwagon on the strength of “Kids”? Or are these guys just really that eccentric? Hard to say. But it worked, for the most part.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB7IAXrCkO8

“Free is the new black” as one of my favorite authors Martin Atkins says, and the best way to prove to your everyday casual music fan that your band’s music is something they could get into is to give it away for free! Assault.it has tirelessly scoured the web the past three months to find what we consider to be some of the best signed, and unsigned bands offering up their music for free to their fans, and soon-to-be-fans. Download as you see fit, and if you like what you hear, go to a show, buy a t-shirt, buy an album, or at the very least tell a friend!

1. Direct Hit!

FUCK YOU! GET PUMPED! To call these guys the Andrew WK of punk rock would be somewhat of an insult, but in the interest of appealing to everyman 1.0 that’s what these guys are. Hardcore power punk at its finest, and the best live show I’ve ever witnessed. You can check out our full review of their latest EP #4 here if you want to see why we think this band is your favorite new band.

Get Pumped! Direct Hit! MySpace | BandCamp (The free shit is here)

2. Makeshift Prodigy -- Mathematica

Makeshift Prodigy is giving away a single off their freshly-released album Mathematica! According to Third World Timmy this band is one of the best new bands in the city of Chicago, and is his pick to click to break out in the next year or two. Check out our review of Mathematica, as well as our live CD release show review, and interview with the guys.

Official Website | Download “Mathematica”

3. Empires

Select singles and entire albums from their MySpace for one of the most well known bands in Chicago with former members of The Academy Is… except these guys are way more awesomer.

Official Website | MySpace

4. The Delivery Boys

One of Chicago’s hidden secrets on the pop punk scene. You can check out our thoughts on the Chicago power-punkers here, or better yet, you can download their songs on their PureVolume page.

MySpace | PureVolume

5. Trippy Wicked

“[An] epic musical journey of songs about living the good life, fire, growing beards, girls, aliens, loneliness, love, and pirates.” That basically sums up the awesomeness of this UK import. You can download their album for free on their band camp.

Official Website | bandcamp

6. Carousel Kings

The Carousel Kings EP, Here Comes Trouble makes me feel like I’m driving 90 MPH on I-90 in towards Rockford, IL listening to Saves the Day at full blast in my ’93 Pontiac Bonneville. Fast-paced punk rock that you’re mildly embarrassed to sing along to.

MySpace | PureVolume (Free download here)

7. La Dispute

The first I’d heard of La Dispute was when I found out from R. Kelly (Ryan Kelly that is) that they’re on the same label as The Wonder Years, No Sleep Records. I was amazed to find a range of sound that starts at spoken word over what reminds me of Explosions in the Sky, and goes all the way to a highly polished screamo sound--which I’m a huge fan of.

MySpace | Thank You for Your Patience Free Downloads

8. Light In May

Metalcore from Conneticut that sound something like Poison The Well, one of Third World Timmy’s old school favorites.

MySpace | Merch Store |  PureVoume Free Downloads

9. The Decay

Canadian punk rock--not the Sum41 style punk rock though. If Dillinger Four had a Canadian love child, it’d be The Decay.

MySpace | This Month’s Rent Full Album Download

10. Mansions

The Get Up Kids meets Ryan Adams meets Dinosaur Jr. Words from their own MySpace.

MySpace | Merch Store | | Doghouse Records | Get OMG for just one tweet!

11. Anchor Eighty Four Compilation

Sign up for the mailing list and you get the full album. The album includes a song from a band we interviewed a few weeks ago, Newamerica. (Formerly The Discover Radio)

Sign up to get a full compilation album

12. Thrice -- Day Trotter Live Session

At one point Thrice was Third World Timmy’s band, but they’ve transitioned into more of an experience, than a rock and roll band. Still, they’re giving away a free album that you should get.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY1SwqLOC3c

Official Website | Download Full Live Session

13. Wipe Out Marshall

I can’t tell you much about this band because their “About Us” on their MySpace may as well have been written in alien, but the album is full of punk rock block, and totally worth checking out. EP: You Light This Match, We’ll Burn This City

MySpace | Download Free EP

14. Man the Change live in Brooklyn EP

New York based DIY punk rock band heavily influenced by one of “Third World” Timmy’s favorite punk rock groups, Hot Water Music.

MySpace | Download EP

15. Deadly Animals EP

Heavy metal is “Third World” Timmy’s favorite genre of music, and he’ll be the first to tell you that most of the unsigned groups offering up free music in said genre kinda suck--Deadly Animals on the other hand, do not suck. Gritty hard rock for fans of Static-X, Pantera, and Fear Factory.

MySpace | Download Demo EP

16. The Friday Night Boys

One of the newest signings to Fueled By Ramen, and we can understand why. One tweet gets you a free download of one of their new songs.

MySpace | Tweet to download

17. Apocalipstick

All girl  thrasher punk rock group from Irvine, CA. They’ll steal your heart then break it.

MySpace | Sign up for mail list to download

18. SHARKS -- Shallow Waters EP

British garage rock that sounds a bit like early The Strokes albums. PunkNews gave it 4.5/5

MySpace | EP Download

19. Campaign -- It Likes To Party EP

It’s no secret that we at Assault.it’s staff and crew like to party. This album therefore caught our attention and we believe it couldn’t be more appropriately titled. You can also get their previous EP for free in the same placed--the appropriately titled H1N1. For those of you fans of old Hot Water Music, you’re going to want to get both these albums.

MySpace | It Likes To Party EP Download | H1N1 Free Album Download

20. Dan Wythoff -- The Sunscreen EP

Great solo act that has the same amount of talent as a John Mayer and you won’t feel like a douche enabler by listening to it.

MySpace | Sign up for the newsletter for the Sunscreen EP

21. Cypress Hill -- It Ain’t Nothin’

With a new album on the way Cypress Hill has released one of their songs for free! Check it out and keep an eye out for their new album which we’ll be reviewing here on Assault.it.

Official Website | Download It Ain’t Nothin’ MP3

22-28. ReverbNation Playlist 7 (Click on Audio Library)

Every week ReverbNation posts 7 songs from different artists that are all available as a free download. The program has ended, but they still have a huge Audio Library you can get plenty of quality free music from.

More from ReverbNation | Download Playlist7 (Click on Audio Library)

29. Ship Wrecks

Acoustic rock that sounds like a more catchy version of The Swell Season (From Academy Award winning movie Once) and a little bit of Bright Eyes.

Official Website | Ship Wrecks bandcamp

30. Kismet -- Hiatus

Utrecht based indie-rock at it’s finest. Sort of sounds like a lighter version of Thursday.

Official Website | Kismet bandcamp

31. A Common Year -- Between Cities full length album

If you’ve seen Jimmy Eat World live and wish there were more bands like it it--look no more. A Common Year is a for fans of Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Northstar. Anberlin.

MySpace | A Common Year bandcamp

32. The Day Woke to Me Driving To You’s -- Rain, Rain, Rain EP

Sounds like Explosions in the Sky, Postal Service. Despite their complicated name, the music is quite soothing and nice.

MySpace | PureVolume | Download EP

33. He Is We -- Light A Way

Acoustic band that sounds like Paramore, VersaEmerge, Sarah Berielles. Included on the Top 20 Unsigned Bands of 2009 by PureVolume.

MySpace | PureVolume | Merch Store

34. Conditions -- Illuminati

I’ve been a fan of Conditions for awhile now. (Since I heard about them from ShredNews) For fans of anyone who likes The Ready Set, All Time Low, Set Your Goals, The Swellers. They’re offering the song “Illuminati” on their PureVolume for free.

MySpace | PureVolume Song Download

35. I Rival -- Make Me Scream

Sounds like Keeping Secrets, Our Last Night, The Word Alive, Set Your Goals, Conditions, The Used.

MySpace | Merch Store | PureVolume Song Download

36. The Bay State -- Liars

Talented female lead rock band that sounds a bit like Paramore/VersaEmerge, Be Your Own Pet.

MySpace | PureVolume Song Download

37. Picture Me Broken -- Dearest (I’m So Sorry)

Girl fronted rock band that resembles Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Flyleaf, Arch Enemy. They made it on PureVolume’s top 20 unsigned of 2009, and deserve all the attention they get.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiEVPpCAD7Y

MySpace | PureVolume Song Download

38. Every You -- A Change of Scene

If you like The Swellers (Like we do) then you’ll love these guys--same goes for Strike Anywhere, Broadway, and any other seasoned punk rock group.

MySpace | Merch Store | PureVolume Song Download

39. My Arcadia -Lulea (City by the Sea)

Hard to classify who My Arcadia sounds like, but I would say it’s a mixture of Flyleaf, Hey Monday, Amy Lee, and the punk rock influence of one of our favorites Hayley Williams.

MySpace | Merch Store | PureVolume Song Download

40. Tonight Alive -- Wasting Away

I’ve said it 3-4 times now, but Tonight Alive sounds very much like Picture Me Broken, My Arcadia, Paramore, Flyleaf, and VersaEmerge. I can’t get enough girl-fronted rock band. Very high energy band that most bros would feel comfortable with playing loudly in their cars.

MySpace | PureVolume Song Download

41. Silversun Pickups -- Lazy Eye (Acoustic version)

Grammy nominated indie rockers the Silversun Pickups put up an acoustic version of their song, “Lazy Eye.” All you have to do is sign up for their mailing list!

Official Website | Sign up for newsletter for free song

42. Girl On Fire -- Summer Sampler EP

For fans of Alexisonfire, Taking Back Sunday, The Used, except more fast-paced, with more face-melting guitar riffs. It will make you feel like a man.

MySpace | Summer Sampler EP Download

43. Midwest Hype

I’ve never heard a jazz funk band before, but Midwest Hype is working their way into a genre that they’re dominating all their own. This entire album is on “Third World” Timmy’s island vacation mix that goes with him on all his tropical island getaways.

MySpace | ReverbNation | 3 songs: Sunrise Will End My Night Tonight, Big Poppa (cover), Runaway

44. A Hero Named Hope

One of the rising stars of the Chicago rock scene and one of the few bands that still resist the pop-punk trend and continue to play a heavier, more hardcore style of punk rock. Another live show worth seeing as they get better and better every show they do.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n52Ew_XU5Po

MySpace | 2 Songs off their debut EP

45-46. Abel & Lorien -- Tour EP

If you like Brand New, you will literally shit your pants for Abel. Lorien is a bit more like Anberlin, Deas Vail, Academy Is…, Copeland according to LFM

Abel MySpace | Lorien MySpace | Tour EP Download

47. Alkaline Trio

It’s no secret that Alkaline Trio is one of Assault’s favorites. They recently gave away two songs off their new album, This Addiction which you should get cause it is awesome.

Official Website | Free Song Download

48. Bullet For My Valentine -- Begging For Mercy

One of the best metal acts around is giving away one of their songs off their new album for free. “Third World’ Timmy will be one of the first in line to pick up this new album in which he’ll no doubt declare it the best thing ever since Avenged Sevenfold.

Merch Store | Download “Begging For Mercy”

49. I Fight Dragons

Sign up for their mailing list, and get a link to an EP mixture of live music and awesome songs made from old school Nintendo sound effects. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle then you should just quit here at #1. They just signed to Atlantic Records and are now touring with the Too Fast For Love Tour w/3OH!3, Cobra Starship, Travis McCoy

MySpace | Official Website (Sign up for the newsletter to get the free EP!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3GP57YUjw

50. Pet Lions

Indie pop rock from Chicago--sign up for their newsletter for their Soft Right EP!

MySpace | Download Soft Right EP

Sources:

Follow Legal Free Music on Tumblr
Top 20 Unsigned Bands of 2009 by PureVolume
ReverbNation

From 1998 to 2004, Alkaline Trio was the best pop-punk band in the world. This is a fact. They did only one thing – springy, melodic songs with rubbery bass-lines, lots of chunky palm-muted riffs, and dark, soul-searching lyrics – but they did it awesomely. And then they started to do other things (play around with keyboards and synthesizers, let the drummer write songs, get married and become happy with their personal lives) and, suddenly, everything changed. They were still a good band, but Crimson (2005) and Agony & Irony (2008) are nobody’s favorite Alkaline Trio albums. They’re melodic and musically accomplished in ways that displayed “growth” and “maturity,” but they also felt somewhat forced lyrically, with singer/guitarist Matt Skiba relying increasingly on cliched and clumsy metaphors as his songwriting got less personal. The dudes (bassist/singer Dan Andriano and drummer Derek Grant, plus Skiba) scattered across the country and started doing aging rocker stuff like “surfing” and “having kids.” But about a year ago, everything started to change again: the guys started hanging out in Chicago more, they talked about “returning to their roots,” Skiba got divorced. All of this could mean only thing: COMEBACK! So, the first question: Is This Addiction a return to their glory days? Does it accomplish very much with, musically, very little? Is it superficially evil for fun with genuinely heavy emotional content for serious? Can it explode a unicorn’s boner in a great blast of pink stars and fairy dust?

Short answer: No, yes, sort of, and maybe.

Long answer: This Addiction doesn’t sound like Goddamnit, Alkaline Trio’s much-ballyhooed, now classic first full-length. And that’s going to disappoint some people, because some people are always disappointed that the band evolved from being a bunch of drunk-ass nineteen year-olds. And some people, like me, will never be entirely happy without Glenn Porter in the line-up; Derek Grant has always struck me as a weird fit for the Trio, and a lot of folks, myself included, hold him almost entirely responsible for trying to push the band in artistic directions they weren’t quite skilled enough to master. The Trio that most of us first fell in love with is never coming back, but that’s been true for years – we should all be used to it by now. Matt Skiba is never going to describe our emotions with profane, pin-point accuracy the way he did on “Radio,” and Dan Andriano will never be sad again, apparently. But This Addiction is a sharp, punchy addition to the band’s catalog. They don’t try anything they haven’t already mastered, but it’s an absolute joy to hear them doing these things that they are very, very good at.

The album kicks off with three fast, hard-charging tracks that all sound like they should have been b-sides. I say this is as a compliment; over the last couple years, all the best Trio songs have been ones that didn’t actually make it on to their records. “This Addiction” begins the record on an extremely high note – racing tempos, a bright melody, uncomplicated lyrics that equate love with, um, addiction in a way that’s not necessarily novel but still brutally effective. And then Dan Andriano gives the best vocal performance of the entire disc on “Dine, Dine My Darling,” daring to make a Misfits joke on a song that celebrates (once again) domestic bliss. “Lead Poisoning” features Skiba’s trademark “dun…dun-nun-nuh” riffing, but it sounds good, like hanging out with an old friend. Plus, a simple, cool saxophone solo sets the track apart from the roughly twenty-five others almost exactly like it in the band’s catalog. Things take a bad turn after that, though – “Dead On The Floor” cannibalizes both “Trouble Breathing” and “San Francisco” (from Goddamnit) and stops the album’s momentum in a tired and unforgivable fashion.

It gets somewhat hit-or-miss after that. “The American Scream,” the token political track, isn’t bad, but its central metaphor is a little corny. “Draculina,” “Eating Me Alive,” and “Piss & Vinegar” are a little too mid-tempo and interchangeable to run in a row, and they bog down the middle of the record. But This Addiction finishes stronger than any Trio record in recent memory: “Dorothy” blasts out of the speakers in an explosion of double-time drumming and eerie David Lynch references, by far the most exciting song Skiba’s written in six years. And “Fine,” Andriano’s gentle closer, is a tearjerker that builds to epic status without over-reaching. Maybe the songs in the middle only feel like filler because they’re book-ended by such powerful material; in any event, I ain’t complaining. This is definitely the best Trio record since Good Mourning, and it might end up ranking along with Maybe I’ll Catch Fire and From Here To Infirmary when all is said and done.

Let’s face it – these guys are getting older, and they can’t do this forever. But This Addiction is an excellent, full-bodied reminder of why we started loving them in the first place, and if they never made another record, their legacy would be secure. This is the way you grow up – not with intricate piano parts or relentless overdubs, but by knowing who you are and what you do, and then doing it the best you know how. I’m glad Alkaline Trio are doing their one thing again, and doing it perfectly.  

Alkaline Trio:

• Official Site
• MySpace
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter

We’ve all done it -- you purchase a new CD, rip the cellophane off, and pop the disc into your personal stereo system, prepared for an hour-long musical journey with peaks, valleys, and (hopefully) a convoluted semi-story that never quite makes sense but provides a helpful through-line across the dozen or so tracks presented. But after listening to the first track, something strange happens -- you go back, listen again, and then repeat that process for the remainder of the day, never quite making it through the rest of the album. And that incredible first song becomes, in your mind, the entire disc, rendering all proceeding tracks red-headed stepchildren you wouldn’t even toss an empty beercan at. These moments are magical, and I’ve compiled a list -- following closely my bastardized “scientifc method” of drinking Coors Light and throwing all my CDs in a  big pile on the floor -- of the most penis-pulverizing track 1′s ever to melt your speakers. Here we go:

The Thermals  -- “Here’s Your Future” (The Body, The Blood, The Machine)

Every album needs a hard-charging opener to grab the listener’s interest, but it might not be a great idea to kick shit off with the most exciting song of all time. Lead Thermal Hutch Harris apparently heard Green Day’s American Idiot and thought he could do the same thing a little bit better, and that’s what The Body, The Blood, The Machine accomplishes, with half the bombast and a fraction of the running time. It all begins with this shorthand re-telling of some popular biblical myths, which is way more fun than Sunday school ever was -- plus, there’s a teeth-rattling guitar solo. The rest of the disc is similarly amazing, but the band never quite scales this height again.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScxrWz7DK_M

Alkaline Trio -- “Calling All Skeletons” (Agony & Irony)

Alkaline Trio always come correct with an awesome first track (to wit: “Cringe,” “Keep ‘Em Coming,” “Private Eye,” “This Could Be Love,” “Time To Waste”) but their Agony & Irony opener is something truly special. On a disc that found the boys trying hard to diversify their sound and manufacture the angst that came so naturally in their younger days, “Calling All Skeletons” is the one song that really brings the pain.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsV4Dvf9cw

The National -- “Secret Meeting” (Alligator)

The first track of the National’s third album, Alligator, is one of their most transcendentally beautiful; it’s where they start playing around with their instruments in new and innovative ways, creating the formula that would lead to the breathtakingly awesome Boxer a couple years later. But “Secret Meeting” creams almost everything else in the band’s catalog -- it’s wide open, with plenty of room for Matt Berninger’s warm baritone to drop the kind of mysterious, borderline-nonsensical lyrics that are like catchphrases for sad hipsters. True story: For one (very weird) year, the greeting on my voicemail said “Sorry I missed your call, but I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7GZmqcSuYM

Mastodon -- “Blood And Thunder” (Leviathan)

Mastodon have become a better, smarter, more complex and intellectually stimulating band since Leviathan broke through to a seriously big audience in 2004, but they haven’t written a song that tops “Blood And Thunder.” A perennial concert staple and probably the most popular track in their catalog, “Blood And Thunder” is pure adrenalin, a battle cry set to the kind of crushing power chords and elemental rhythm that are straight-up undeniable.  One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen was Mastodon performing this at the Pitchfork festival in 2007 and clearing out a bunch of feeble hipsters; they just weren’t ready for the brutality.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=labytsb3gfI

Death Cab For Cutie -- “Bixby Canyon Bridge” (Narrow Stairs)

On paper, this sounds like an awful idea: Popular emo band approaches middle age, gets depressed, and try to commune with the spirit of Jack Kerouac. But it actually plays as majestic and inspired, and sets the stage for DCFC’s most instrumentally forceful disc (which, admittedly, isn’t saying too much). Ben Gibbard is always at his best when he’s reaching for something that’s just a little out of reach, and “Bixby Canyon Bridge” is his most winningly bittersweet composition since he got started in this hipster sadness game.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCNI_kwiUFk

Queens Of The Stone Age -- “Regular John” (Queens Of The Stone Age)

Queens Of The Stone Age’s first disc, long out-of-print at this point, is a prime slab of dirty psychedelic scuzz. It lacks, however, the group’s eventual pop smarts, focusing instead on pure red-meat brutality. “Regular John” is the lone exception -- it’s beefy and primal, to be sure, but it also features ingenious guitar squiggles and some of Josh Homme’s patented vulnerable-tough-guy lyrics. The proceeding tracks get a little boring and samey under their blanket of impenetrable sludge, but “Regular John” is a laser-sharp harbinger of great songs to come.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb-57OuONjQ

Midlake -- “Roscoe” (The Trials Of Van Occupanther)

Midlake’s The Trials Of Van Occupanther is kind of a snooze -- people compared it to the Eagles, but the Eagles were way more fun than the turgid dirges strewn throughout that record. But first track “Roscoe” is a different story entirely -- compared to the languid remainder of the disc, “Roscoe” moves at light speed. The brisk tempo is accented by one of the band’s most haunting melodies; a lot of their stuff veers into “Radiohead minus technology” territory, but “Roscoe” is totally singular in both concept and execution.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDL9bXlwbM4

MGMT -- “Time To Pretend” (Oracular Spectacular)

MGMT’s debut disc, Oracular Spectacular, is fun but somewhat slight -- they can write great songs, but not all the time, yet. “Time To Pretend” is (along with “Kids”) elaborate proof of their songwriting capabilities; it’s tongue-in-cheek but also genuine, an undercurrent of melancholy burbling just underneath the big farty synths. Dudes start off singing about marrying models and shooting smack, but a minute later they’re ticking off all the things they’ll miss about childhood. Which reminds you that they’re still kids, sort of, and that’s why this isn’t obnoxious.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dSYgd5Elk

Basement Jaxx -- “Romeo” (Rooty)

This is one of those weird circumstances where I heard a song on the radio and became obsessed with it; it took me three weeks to find out who performed it, and another couple to track down a copy of it (I believe I eventually picked it up at a Borders in Chicago). I’d like to say Rooty became one of my favorite albums, but it didn’t, because I’d rather listen to Prince than stuff that sounds like Prince, but foofier. (Same reason I don’t dig Of Montreal.) But “Romeo” is a song that makes me do a little dance whenever I hear it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU4Y3A3oJRM

Sonic Youth -- “Schizophrenia” (Sister)

“Schizophrenia” is a song for people who don’t think they like Sonic Youth but are willing to be convinced otherwise -- it’s gentle and pretty at first, with dissonance slowly creeping in, and the vocal is clever rather obnoxious. Sister marks the point where SY felt comfortable letting their songcraft carry the day, with crazy guitar-tunings and pseudo-Beat lyrical experimentation  riding shotgun. “Schizophrenia” is the announcement of a new Sonic Youth, and while the rest of the album is almost equally strong, it never quite matches the initial shock and awesomeness found here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz_bCyirfn8

Alkaline Trio has released the video to their latest single off of their new album of the same name, This Addiction. Check out the video below.

Want to go to the sold out album release show in Chicago?

We’re giving away two tickets to see Alkaline Trio at The Metro in Chicago to one of the people who sign up for our newsletter contest we have going on our site. (We’re not kidding, Third World Timmy is literally holding on to the tickets in his hand in the picture below. )

All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter and follow the directions sent to you on the 18th of this month (February) and if you’re the first one to finish the “scavenger” hunt of sorts you could win the two tickets, or an Alkaline Trio vinyl and a copy of the new album! The best part: beers on us before the show if you win!

Between the 3 full time members of the Assault elite task force, and the 2-4 part timers, we have attended somewhere around 40,000 Alkaline Trio shows. We figured it’s time to make some new friends, and to do that, we’re going to give away two tickets, and some free drinks on us before the show at the Ginger Man next door. The show is February 28th at  Metro (your favorite Chicago rock venue!). Now, I know what you’re thinking: “You’re just gonna throw away your tickets to this awesome show? That’s retarded.” Well, you know what else is retarded? Your outfit. Now listen:

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction releases February 23rd!

Keeping with our loosely-enforced “Don’t hate, participate!” policy, we’re not just going to hand over the tickets–you gotta work for them. We’re not going to make you buy anything or do anything that we wouldn’t do (although that isn’t saying very much….rimshot!). All we’re asking is that you sign up for our newsletter. On February 18th you will receive our monthly newsletter, and in it you will get a link to a secret page on our site that has directions on how to get the tickets.

Not from Chicago?

No problem, if you find the secret password there’s still a chance to win a limited edition Alkaline Trio/Smoking Popes vinyl split, and a copy of the new album, This Addiction!

The first person to find the secret password will win the tickets, and all you have to do is to sign up for the newsletter, and to follow the directions on the email that is sent to you on February 18th. If you don’t sign up for the newsletter, you’ll never know how to win, so do it now!

The contest may (or may not include) an Alkaline Trio trivia question and/or a secret passcode that will be hidden somewhere on our online store where we sell fucking awesome t-shirts, aviators, and other cool stuff.

Third World Timmy, modeling the actual tickets you could possibly win!

The Goods

Two tickets to the SOLD OUT Alkaline Trio show at Metro Chicago on February 28th. Tickets pictured right. (Yes, those are the actual FUCKING TICKETS!)

Not from Chicago? No problem, there is also a limited edition vinyl Alkaline Trio/Smoking Popes split, and a copy of the new album from AK3, This Addiction!

When will I get my the first clue to the scavenger hunt?

The first clue will go out in our newsletter on the 18th of February that you must sign up for. Don’t forget to add us to your address book so that our emails won’t get caught in your spam filters.

Our newsletter is totally tits mcgee.

It goes out once a month, it has funny pictures of us, hot chicks in our clothing, and gives you a heads up to our best blog posts, recommended music/movies, and deals on all of our new clothing we release.

Derek sporting the Radioactive II T-Shirt from Assault!

Who the hell are you guys?

We’re just 3 guys who love music and make t-shirts. Some people think our shirts are pretty cool (including the guys from the Alkaline Trio) and, better yet, they’re made in the USA.

That’s right, you could win tickets to the SOLD OUT Alkaline Trio show! Better yet, we’ve dropped our prices for our 2 year anniversary sale so our shirts have never been cheaper!

The Fine Print

This contest is a scavenger hunt of sorts. You will need to be a subscriber of our newsletter to get the secret link to where the first clue is for the scavenger hunt. The tickets will be given to the first person to complete the contest who is also 21 years of age. You may need to answer a trivia question about the Alkaline Trio. The tickets, and this contest were not provided for by The Alkaline Trio, or their label. This contest has absolutely no affiliation with Epitaph, or the Alkaline Trio (they didn’t respond to over 40 emails from us asking for an interview and/or permission of some sort so we figured why the hell not!) Winners of the tickets must be at least 21 years of age. Contestants must be in the US.

We bought these tickets with our own money, and if we want to give them to two loyal Alkaline Trio fans from Chicago then god dammit we’re going to do so!

It’s been said that sad songs are nature’s onions, but that’s simply not true. Sad songs don’t taste great on a hamburger. But the comparison mostly holds up otherwise -- mournful music will infect your soul and pulverize any happiness to be found therein. It’s usually best to avoid the following jams, but in the event that you need a good hard cry, here are ten tracks so tragic they’d make a unicorn tear up. (Click on the song title to purchase through iTunes.)

10. Bloc Party -- “Blue Light“

Bloc Party’s entire first record, Silent Alarm, is an exciting bummer: it’s downbeat but electrifying, dark thoughts set to fast tempos and accentuated with jagged interlocking riffs. (The weirdly hyper-critical response to their output since then is also sort of a bummer, but that’s a different blog for a different day.) “Blue Light” is where they slow things down and get plaintive -- there’s no anger here, just low-burning melancholy and frontman Kele Okereke’s beautifully hushed vocals.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyy_gZ63tig

9. Hot Hot Heat -- “Happiness LTD“

Hot Hot Heat are one of the last bands you’d look to for introspection or depth -- they’re a bunch of goofy Canadians that specialize in keyboard-driven pop-punk that’s like Elvis Costello on a steady diet of Ritalin and Green Day. But the title track from their 2007 album Happiness LTD is an exuberant downer that dares to scratch beneath the surface and plumb some genuine emotion out of what was obviously a real, extremely traumatic break-up. This is a must-hear for anyone that ever got their heart ripped out and then shat upon; it’s so good it almost makes total misery seem worth the trouble.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar4oCw7z7Fc

8. Rilo Kiley -- “A Man/Me/Then Jim“

Rilo Kiley spent their first two records perfecting a very particular indie-folk sound; on their third, More Adventurous, they stretched out and showcased a streamlined formula that allowed for real depth and some very interesting songwriting choices. “A Man/Me/Then Jim” tells not one, not two, but three separate-but-intertwined stories, and each is a perfectly realized masterpiece of small, telling details. And they’re all heartbreaking. A lot of people were amazed by Jenny Lewis’s (admittedly amazing) solo debut, but most of the groundwork had already been laid with songs like this. Absolutely essential for fans of literate, melodic pop.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P24NW3o38u0

7. Elliott Smith -- “Miss Misery“

For all of his melodic genius, Elliott Smith wasted a lot of energy on bitter recrimination and angry finger-pointing. But there’s none of that on “Miss Misery,” which was featured in Good Will Hunting and eventually got nominated for an Academy Award. It’s a subtly devastating examination of post-breakup turmoil -- Smith drowns his sorrows in Johnny Walker Red, gets his fortune told at the park, and watches too much TV late at night. This is the perfect soundtrack to spending a few weeks in bed and feeling extremely sorry for yourself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH8-lQ9CeyI

6. Blue Oyster Cult -- “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper“

“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” with its Shakespearean overtones and sorrowful central riff, isn’t sad so much as downright tragic; every time I hear it (which is about a dozen times a week, on a good week) I feel a little bit worse about eventually dying. For a bunch of guys that looked like downmarket porn stars and weren’t above writing a song about Godzilla, they pulled off some of the sweetest, most purely listenable rock songs of all time. “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” never gets old; it lopes along on liquid guitar lines before briefly pausing to explode into some seriously geeky organ-blast overload. It’s music for Romantic-minded nerds that fixate on death and unrequited love because it hurts less than dwelling on getting picked last for softball in gym class.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdXfkkyI1nQ

5. Jets To Brazil -- “I Typed For Miles“

Jawbreaker / Jets to Brazil frontman Blake Schwarzenbach shamelessly swiped the main guitar riff from Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” for this ode to suicide, low self-esteem, and the compulsion to obsessively mythologize one’s own pain. But he does something fresh with those super-familiar notes, and the depths of despair he reaches by track’s end (whereupon he screams, repeatedly, “You keep fucking up my life!”) are nearly unheard-of in the fake-sadness emo landscape. This is real pain, raw and unfiltered, which makes it perfectly fitting that Kurt Cobain provided essential inspiration. This one’s so brutal I don’t even recommend it, but one day you might need it just the same.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWJezG0JYCk

4. Motion City Soundtrack -- “Last Night“

Motion City Soundtrack specialize in transforming heartbreak to hard-won catharsis; frontman Justin Pierre is like Optimus Prime with fewer moving parts. But “Last Night” (from the band’s thoroughly defeated third album, Even If It Kills Me) doesn’t have a happy ending. Forsaking his usual mix of self-deprecation and scabrous humor, Pierre plays it completely straight as he deconstructs the end of a relationship in wide-eyed, excruciating detail while somehow steering clear of self-pity or melodrama. He’s not pathetic -- he’s vulnerable.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvZinU5w-d8

3. The Knife -- “Heartbeats (Live)“

The original studio version of “Heartbeats” is a slightly downbeat banger that skirts heartache but emerges victorious and mostly unscathed; the live version, however, slows the tempo and downplays the oversize synth riffs in favor of a quietly pulsing beat and skeletal melody. This would never fly in the club but it’s absofruitly perfect for sitting in your darkened bedroom and crying into a glass of wine. On record the Knife sound otherworldly and incredibly foreign; live, their humanity is front-and-center, and that’s what elevates this version of “Heartbeats” to stone-cold-classic status.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrjwqXwyzNU

2. Alkaline Trio -- “Blue In The Face“

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8olUTMxMsY

1. Metallica -- “One“

Grabbing ideas from the Dalton Trumbo novel Johnny Got His Gun (and film adaptation of the same), Metallica designed their first single as the ultimate misery-delivery system. Kirk Hammett’s delicate, slightly wah-wah’ed guitar lines convey the bottomless sadness of war while James Hetfield tries to actually sing for a few minutes, and then the track explodes into the closest aural equivalent of total holocaust that you’ll ever hear. This is especially disturbing if you’re extremely stoned.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzgGTTtR0kc

So -- now that you’re good and emotionally devastated, why don’t you head over to the Assault store and pick out a few happy-making t-shirts? There’s nothing like some old-fashioned retail therapy to cure your blues!

As you most likely already know, AssaultBLOG’s hometown heroes Alkaline Trio are releasing a new record on February 23rd. It’s called This Addiction and Matt Skiba has promised that it’s a return to their “roots.” I’m always skeptical of claims like that, but I just heard the first single (and title track) and it definitely sounds like something that could’ve been released in the From Here To Infirmary/Good Mourning days. And those were very good days indeed.

So click on that picture of the album’s excellent cover art, allow the site to Tweet a promo from your account, and you can listen to “This Addiction” as many times as you want to, for free. I have the day off from my (paying) job, so I probably won’t move from this spot for a few hours. It’s a pretty good song.

(You can pre-order This Addiction now from Epitaph.)

Pop-punk is one of the easiest genres to get wrong; the ingredients are simple enough that anyone can give it a shot, and fan expectations are famously low. That’s what makes the new Swellers record, Ups And Downsizing, so refreshing: these guys absolutely nail it. The songs are catchy, the riffs are chunky, and there’s enough wit present in the lyrics to satisfy the discriminating pop-punk fan. After undergoing numerous lineup changes and the usual amount of toil and trouble, The Swellers seem to be on the cusp of breaking out and getting the recognition they deserve.

The Swellers – Fire Away Video

Ups and Downsizing in Flint, Michigan

The Swellers prove they have the essential down pat right away; opener “2009″ finds singer/guitarist Nick Diener wallowing in the kind of new year’s misery that’s fueled great tracks in the past from Alkaline Trio and Motion City Soundtrack, although the tone here never slips into negativity or ugliness. And, though the riffs may be familiar enough, they keep circling around in interesting ways, dropping out and then coming back harder. This is the formula for most of Ups And Downsizing, and when it works, The Swellers make a case for themselves as a more masculine Paramore; this is friendly mall punk you can blast in your car without feeling like a teenage girl.

The Swellers consistently go deeper than the average pop-punk concerns; the title track features smart lyrics about the recession (the band is from Flint, Michigan, so they know a thing or two about economic downturn) and closer “Dirt” is an enjoyably vinegary missive aimed at anyone attending Dienen’s funeral. “Feet First” and “Stars” switch up the tempo; the former is a pretty standard ballad entry, but the latter runs six minutes and features a Slash-worthy guitar solo as it reaches its super-cathartic climax.

Ups And Downsizing is a big step forward for the Swellers; their previous full-length, My Everest, traffics in much of the same thematic and musical territory, but the delivery is more pungent and forceful this time around. The rest of the band is almost impossibly tight . Think Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave: Standard elements recombined in an interesting way, with some studio sheen to help the medicine go down but enough rawness to keep the energy popping. And the flawless rhythmic interplay on these songs showcases a precision that probably is only possible when it’s your brother on drums (Jonathan Diener handles the skins).

If you’re a fan of the typical pop-punk sound, Ups And Downsizing is worth more than just a listen. It’s worth memorizing as a textbook example of exactly how this stuff sounds when it’s done right. I’d place it in the mighty pantheon right alongside Alkaline Trio’s Goddamnit and Green Day’s Kerplunk, and that’s about as high of praise as you’re likely to hear around these parts. And, just like those records, telling your friends about Ups And Downsizing amounts to sharing a wonderful gift. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in twenty years, up-and-coming punk bands instructed their producers to “make it sound like the Swellers.” That’s how fine their command of pop-punk principles truly is.

The Swellers are opening for Less Than Jake at Metro on Tuesday, November 24; if you’re in the Chicago area, I highly advise you check these guys out. (Both myself and “Third World” Timmy will be at the show.) This is real, no-bullshit rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s a rare commodity these days. Buy tickets now!

More from the Swellers

• The Swellers Myspace
• The Swellers Twitter
• Nick Diener’s Twitter
• The Swellers on iTunes

The aftermath of the Friday Night Rock Session and Dakota the Dog.

This past week I did something I haven’t done in awhile–bought some electronics. Playstation 3, Rock Band 2, and about $100.00 worth of songs from the Rock Band Music Store made up the bulk of the purchase. (I also snagged a case of Red Bull, bless you CostCo.)

I’ve spent the better half of the last week being sick, and occasionally rocking out with the fog machine and strobe lights to all the Avenged Sevenfold songs on Rock Band. I was a little disappointed to find out that the new drum kits didn’t look like those shiny ION drum kits that can actually be used as electronic drums–but I was happy when I found out that the cymbals addon would be available so I rushed out and bought it for $30 bucks at Game Stop.

After about four days of nonstop rocking I have beaten the entire game on “Hard” difficulty. Shame, because it was revealed to me that there’s a cheat code that unlocks all the songs at once–that’s what I get for being to excited to search on the net or cheat codes.

Fireside Bowl Chicago

Rise Against, Thrice, Alkaline Trio show at the Congress Theatre

I even had some time to catch Rise Against/Alkaline Trio/Thrice show at the Congress Theatre last night. It was a great show except for one minor disappointment–Thrice. Thrice seems to be more of an “experience” rather than a rock and roll band like I remember them. For those of you native to the music scene in Chicago you may remember the Fireside on Fullerton. That was THE music venue to play at back when it was open–it was also the last place I’d ever seen Thrice. It was back in 2000 when I was just 16 years old that I saw them in the back corner of the bowling alley. Best part was the entire show was only $5.00 bucks and Brand New was opening for them. It still to this day has been one of the best shows I’ve ever been to, and I even got to talk to Dustin briefly after they were done with their set.

Don’t get me wrong they’re still a GREAT band, but I still think I used to like them more when they were just that… a band.

Here’s what we had going on the past week

• Interview with the lovely Kristen from Ponoko.com
• Received our shipment of our best seller, The Chainsaw Killer Bunny T-Shirt (They’re going fast!)
• Dropped our shipping costs–free shipping for all!
• Got Chainsaw Killer Bunny featured on OMGTees.com
• Shipped orders to Romania, Australia, and Belgium!

Mr 51% decided to use his exclusive membership to the Blood Pact Alkaline Trio fan club to get some of our t-shirts to Dan, Matt, and Derek from the Alkaline Trio at their show recently in Dallas, Texas. Little did we know that Derek would actually wear the shirt to the show!!!! For now all we have is a picture we grabbed off of FlickR where you can vaguely see the Radioactive II T-Shirt.

There’s also a picture of Dan holding his Skull Wing Assault Shirt. Hopefully, we can catch a photo of him wearing it somewhere on the net!