Patent Pending

Fans of Matt Skiba's other band, Alkaline Trio, are already frantically spreading the word about Heavens, Skiba's brooding new project with collaborator Josiah Steinbrick. Mining that rich dark vein of 1980's songwriting that is suddenly back on the radio with a vengeance, Patent Pending, the band's debut release, allows Skiba to explore a different side of his songwriting: With Alkaline, I'm usually thinking Ramones and Misfits, says Skiba, but [here I] let the influence of Sisters of Mercy come out. Skiba's lyrics are as beautiful as they are eerie, his vocal melodies at once darkly hypnotic and intensely catchy, while Steinbrick builds great minimalist guitar parts in the tradition of masters like Wire and New Order. Producer Ben Lovett adds ambient back drops and lush string arrangements, making the finished whole a beautiful decaying masterpiece, catchy enough to bring Alkaline Trio's legions along for the ride, darkly angular enough to intrigue fans of Interpol.