Vinyl Reviews Week 3: The One Without A Witty Title

I'll bet you're pleased to know this is the end of my Against Me! collection, and also finishes off my "A's," so without further ado, let us begin.

Against Me! - Total Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords, 2011)

This album is a demo collection from the Searching For A Former Clarity sessions. The audio quality isn't fantastic, but there are some unreleased gems on this album that make it worth buying. Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has stated time and time again that she wishes the band had released this as the full album instead of actually recording Searching, which makes this collection a little more special. The gatefold cover contains two black records, which are standard weight. Apparently I wasn't quick enough to get this on orange vinyl. The unreleased songs are "Exhaustion and Disgust", "Lost and Searching In America", "Money Changes Everything", and "Total Clarity", which I assume is an earlier version of Searching's closer title track. "Lost And Searching" and "Money Changes Everything" are the standouts of the new old tracks, and they rival of the better songs on the album. I just love Searching too much for this to change anything for me. It's a fun compilation of demos for fans of the band, but that's about it.

Rating: Light 7



Against Me! - White Crosses (Sire Records, 2010)

This is Against Me!'s latest full length LP (only because a 2012 release date for Transgender Dysphoria Blues is looking more and more unlikely). This is the biggest stray from their stylistic origins. While still technically a "punk" album, it's more varied. Piano and softer melodies coexist with furious punk rock riffage. Or something like that. I love this album, regardless of how much crap the "true" fans give AM! for making a good rock record on a major label (seriously, slashing their tires give us a bad name). 2000 were pressed on the single vinyl edition before the demos collection came out, which found home on a triple-LP release in 2011 called Black Crosses. I got lucky and received the coveted clear vinyl, limited to 500 copies. It's a standard weight and plays beautifully. The cover art for this LP is...odd. It isn't bad, but it can be an eye sore if looked at for two long. But that's neither here nor there. As a testament to how good this album is, I bought the CD too. Just for the four bonus tracks it contained.

Rating: Strong 8

Alkaline Trio - Crimson (Vagrant Records, 2005)

This is, unfortunately, the only Alkaline Trio full length I own. On any format. This is probably my third favorite Trio LP, behind Goddamnit and This Addiction. It might be tied with Agony and Irony, but it depends on my mood. If there is one thing the Trio know how to do, it's starting off an album on the strongest note possible. This album starts with a piano melody that goes straight into a a heavy, slamming progression that wanes into singer Matt Skiba's serenade and a pedaling bass line. The rest of the record is a downhill slope with a few elevating knolls. The records themselves play wonderfully. My copy is a double LP on translucent green vinyl. This pressing was limited to 1000, and mine is numbered at 711. It's nice owning a personalized copy of a record, and I love Vagrant Records even more for doing this. They could have gone with a gatefold cover though. Jamming two records in one sleeve is akin to standing on them or using them as coasters. That's facetious, but it made for a decent analogy. This record is great.

Rating: Strong 7

Alkaline Trio/Hot Water Music - Split EP (No Idea Records, 2002)

Alkaline Trio side

Hot Water Music side

This is one of my first actual vinyl purchases. The only ones that precede this are classic rock classics that I don't listen to or care about. I bought this on one of my first trips to The Wooden Nickel, and fell in love with collecting at that point. This also has my favorite song by Hot Water Music. It's a perfect release. The audio quality is surprisingly good for a picture disc, and the artwork is beautiful and identifiable. If someone asked me which side has Alkaline Trio on it, I instantly know it is "that one with the chick and the knife." Or the Hot Water Music side: "that one that is super org-y." Y'know, because normal people know what "org" means.
This album was first released on CD in 2002 and on vinyl in 2005. I was able to nab one from that 2005 pressing in 2008 or 2009 somehow. The pressing was limited to 2100, which is an enormous amount by No Idea Records standings (anyone remember my Disco Before The Breakdown pink 7"? Limited to 40 copies). The Alkaline Trio side has three songs, of which one is a Hot Water Music cover. The HWM side has four songs, of which two are Alkaline Trio covers (for those keeping score at home, their cover of Alk3's song "Radio" is my favorite song by both the Trio and HWM. Also, this is the fourth time I've used parentheses in this post.) This might seriously be my favorite record.

Rating: the Strongest 10 I can physically muster