Alkaline Trio- One Hundred Stories
This razor-sharp (ok, ok, pun intended) gem came from the Trio’s fourth official studio album, Good Mourning. Already seven full years into their career, the band was no longer a recklessly energetic and sloppy punk act but had evolved into a well-oiled, power-pop machine. This song is a perfect example; Matt Skiba’s guitar chugs along as drummer Derek Grant manufactures several hooks out of thin air (the subtle missed beat right before the line “no one could tell even if…” being the best example). A new-found attention to detail pays dividends with an organ and backing guitar riff adding nice touches to the bands mid-tempo roar. Dan Andriano’s vocals are just as anxious and tortured as they need to be to match the bands sound and, while his lyrics occasionally get a little obnoxiously heavy-handed with the references to death, they redeem themselves with some undeniably catchy lines. “So dream a good one tonight/ I’ll listen to the bad ones when they come/ Get up in my ear ’till I hear every word/ Every turn of your tongue, I will tighten my grip” is particularly memorable. Finally, the song’s final four bars is a tour de force; Skiba’s scratchy voice perfectly contrasts Andriano’s gothic croon, resulting in two dueling hooks that threaten to put the brain into sensory overload.
Oog Bored 