Customer Reviews

Split Picture Disc [Vinyl]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

And no more- this is a bit pricey unless you get it used- I'd never shell out a ten-note for five damn songs. then again...

Furs of all (for the completely uninitiated)- Amazon has flubbed the track listing: the first three are played by Alk3, the final four by HWM. And they're not all covers. Only tracks 3, 6 and 7.

Soooo... Queen of pain- easily the best (in one man's opinion), and one of the most-humable tunes Skiba and Co. have crafted. EVER. The chorus will sit in your skull like toxoplasma and not be unrooted...

While you're waiting- Very tight, another good alk3 song. Not as good as Q O P, but still melodic in a way that few of the post-punk set manage. The guy has a great voice and (a quality much lacking in our generation of mush-mouthed frontmen) fine diction. You don't need a lyric sheet for a Alk3 album.

Rooftops- This is my one concession to Alk3- They tear this song up, whereas, originally, HWM play it maybe half as fast (track 8 on No division). I love it. Classic. Also a departure, i feel for Alk3, who usually stick to their lovelorn guns when it comes to lyrical content.

God Deciding- One of my top five HWM songs- this one just floors me every time. HWM fans should be this for this and 'radio,' alone- also, no other HWM song sounds like this one. It is a strange and lonely freak, albeit a fantastic one as far as their clooective discography goes... The vocal call/response/harmonizing chorus is lovely. Short but to the point (and on a mix CD it segues nicely into Where We Belong from Moonpies for Misfits, another fave of mine)

Russian Roulette- I really don't like this song and wonder at its presence, nay- at its very existence every time I'm forced to skip it.

radio- fan-tastic. i don't get some of the Alk3 fans who take umbrage at this cover. i love it as it both 1> demonstrates HWM's musical proficiency and 2> shows that the trio can write a song that nicely transends genres. A great song (one of the two great songs from 'maybe I'll catch fire') and a great cover.

Bleeder- if this is a joke, I'm not laughing. this song grates on my soul in a way that is wholly its own.

Now tehn, Let it be known- I stand firmly on the side of HWM, as regards the whole apparent HWM/Alk3 schism... which I'm sure both bands find rather humorous (my post-punk darlings can take yours!!!!!) Both bands have much to reccomend them. But when I run a marathon- it's my CD-walkman, my hwm 2 disc set, and a change of batteries that I take with me. I think HWM are a rarity in today's post-punk world; positive minded, musically proficient, lyrically engaging, rcok when they're down-charge when they're up, just an all-around killer band. They tour a great deal (or they did when i was in college- I'm not the one to ask anymore, probably) so get out and see them.

I suppose I'd encourage die-hard fans of either band to buy this. but look around for a fair price (shame on you amazon- I doubt that jade tree's catalogue lists this for the nigh-eleven-freakin-dollars you charge...)

Also, this split inspired me to delve into Alk3, and thus far I haven't been too disappointed... Though I do find them a tad one-dimensional- thematically-speaking. how many bad relationships can one punk have, how low can a punk get... heheheheh...

wow. Gephardt dropped out of the primary today. neato.

This record has some of the best Alkaline Trio stuff to date in my opinion. The first two tracks are new and unreleased, and sound similar to their latest release on Vagrant records, "From Here To Infirmary". Their third track is an excellent cover of Hot Water Music's "Rooftops", from their Some Records release titled "No Division".

As for Hot Water Music, they cover Alkaline Trio's "Bleeder" from their Asian Man Records release, "I lied my face off" CDEP, as well as "Radio" from another Asian Man Full Length release "Maybe I'll Catch Fire". Of their two previously unreleased tracks, "God Deciding" is pretty much one of the best hot water songs I have heard, but the other song, "Russian Roulette" in my opinion was a little weak.

Overall, this record was great and I am looking forward to others in the Jade Tree split series.

i have been a long time fan of alkaline trio ever since i heard their song 'bleeder' and matt skiba's beautifully melancholly lyrics stayed in my head for weeks until i actually bought their CD. so i was curious to see what this e.p. would be like, i had heard a few songs by HWM and was curious to hear the covers of each other's material...

at first i was blown away by the alkaline material, skiba and company are at their best... again the lyrics are inspired and original ('you've been know to say you are a.o.k. when you are feeling dead inside, i just want you to know i got no place to go until the day you die...') and the music, though lacking in the complexity HWM bring to the fold, fits the mood of the songs... and they even seem to surpass HWM in their cover of 'rooftops'.

at first hot water music's addition to the ep was slightly disappointing, but after a while, the words stuck in my head were not skiba's, but rather hot water material... i was really disappointed at first by the cover of 'bleeder', which is my favorite A3 song, but now i really like it. it's very original, instead of trying to sound like A3, hot water music took their own edge into the song, and it is a great song, but it needs time to grow on you.

find some mp3's from this ep and check out the stuff yourself, and don't be set back by first impressions... the best albums are the ones that aren't initially cohesive, they are the ones which challenge you.

I'll admit that I'm not a fan of Alkaline Trio. That's not to say that I dislike them - they have some catchy songs, and I've seen them live. I wouldn't trash them, they just don't make my list of top artists. On the other hand, I'm a big fan of Hot Water Music. With this on the table, let me say that I was really pleasantly surprised by this split. Both bands put out great efforts which produce a split that's good not just for diehard fans, but for casual listening.

"Queen of Pain" the lead track from Alkaline Trio is perhaps the perfect song to start the split with. With the combination of the guitar and drums that starts out the song, it's hard not to want to bounce along. Add to this the catchy vocals that you can sing along to and you've got a near perfect pop song. Unfortunately, like most good pop songs this one is going to stick around in your head for awhile. I found myself singing this chorus of this song to myself for days after my first listen. Perhaps this start is too strong though because after it, the next track, a more traditional Alkaline Trio mid-tempo song, seems like a disappointment. Although, the pace does pick up a bit with their interesting take on Hot Water Music's "Rooftops."

The second highlight of the split comes during the Hot Water Music half with their cover of Alkaline Trio's "Radio." For those familiar with the original version of the song, the Hot Water Music doesn't stray that far from the original. While keeping this fidelity to the original, through the drastically different vocals, Hot Water Music is able to make the song their own. The song becomes fused with a combination of anger and angst. Lines such as "Taking your own life with boredom, I'm taking my own life with wine" take on a new sadness that is not as obvious in the original version. The other offerings from Hot Water Music, including another cover "Bleeder" are just as strong and a decent example of the sound that can be expected from the band.

After listening to this cd I discovered two facts. 1.Alkaline Trio + Hot Water Music equals a superb split release. 2.Alkaline Trio + Hot Water Music equals three pairs of emo glasses.....

This jade tree release features three tracks from AK3; two originals and a cover version of "Rooftops". The two originals (Queen Of Pain, While You're Waiting) are typical of the band. Featuring dark lyrics and catchy choruses.

While the songs are very good, two small points became an issue for me. First problem is the backing track of Skiba singing over his own voice. The Dan Adriano background vocals serve a big part of the Trio's music. His voice is not present throughout all of the three tracks. Another small detail i felt obliged to mention is the annoying clapping sequence in "While You're Waiting". While it's no big deal, it does tend to irritate me.

The cover of Rooftops is probably AK3's shining moment on this disc. Their rendition gives the song a more poppy feel, and provides a good listen.

It's now track four and Hot Water Music have taken over, with a track entitled "God Deciding", an original. This song puts the two vocalists to good use. The transitions are flawless. "Russian Roulette" follows. It's a good song with an acoustic intro and a catchy chorus. The HWM version of "Radio" is easily the best song of the lot, and one the best covers i have ever heard. Hot Water Music have a way of showing show much emotion through their music and it is displayed here. The disc closes with an acoustic version of "bleeder", which is coincidentally probably the worst on this split.

One thing that differs between the feel of the two bands songs is the production. Hot Water Music seem to have a rawer sound, which translates to a more emotional and intense listen. Alkaline Trio sound a lot more polished and poppy, and this suits their style of music.

This is one of those over before you know it releases. Which in a way is good, because that means i can keep going back and listening to it over and over again. Quite clearly these two bands are not the same, that's probably what this split set out to do; display the diversity between two bands who seemingly fit into the same genre and share the same label.

I like both of these bands, i like this split.

alakaline trio and hot water music team up to put out an awesome release. alkaline trio steal the show though "queen of pain" which is one of the best A3 songs ever plus you get "while your waiting" which gets fantastically disturbing towards the end. They do a good job on "rooftops" which is an awesome song by HWM. On the second half of the album HWM arent as good as heir counter parts but "god deciding" is awesome and so is their acoustic cover of "bleeder. Overall this is a great little album.

"Queen of Pain" and "While You're Waiting" are two of the most unique original songs in Alkaline Trio's catalog; some of Matt Skiba's best songwriting yet. Powerful lines like, "...I'm not much of a jester but I'd test poison food for you..." and "...you told me once I made you smile/we both know damn well I didn't..." make "Queen Of Pain" my album favorite. The Trio's take on HWM's "Rooftops" is excellent...I have yet to hear the original, but I doubt it could be better. Hot Water Music's "Russian Roulette" is a song that starts out sounding all pukey and gross, but quickly builds into the perfect song to relax to. An entire star is lost to the cause of HWM's butchery of "Radio" one of my favorite Alk3 songs. I can understand adding a second guitar part, and MAYBE changing the original one, but SCREWING UP THE WORDS??? NO. Their cover of "Bleeder" was almost as equally disappionting. Altogether though, I love the record.

I'm suprised not more has been said on Queen of Pain. It has to be the most melodically raw and powerful, strong song ever written by Skiba and the guys. This defiantly takes the cake for the best Alk3 song ever to the trained alkalinetrio ear. This song is absolutely undescribable. Everything else of their's on here is amazing like always. note: While Youre Waiting.

I honestly dont mind HWM, their stuff is good, not a humongous fan though. They butcher Alk3's Radio. That song was made for Matt Skiba's voice. There's no strength or as much emotion. Skiba just seems like a much more driven performer of his music.
All the rest of HWM's stuff was decent and typical HWM stuff.

buy this...

This is a great split. They cover the others song real well one of my favs by both Hot Water and Alkaline!!

good stuff! can't go wrong if you like both bands.