I must confess that I only bought this album so that I could be somewhat acquainted with Alkaline Trio before attending a My Chemical Romance concert where they would be playing. I fell in love with this band the instant I popped the cd in. The lyrics are very deep and the music is fantastic. I listened to the cd non stop until I had learned every word. It set a tone and a standard for a lot of my own writing. I haven't heard anything else that Alkaline has put out, but this album made me a fan. It's a must for anyone looking for some good gothic, melodic, easy rock music. Highly enjoyable.