A trooper, a vagabond, a minstrel and an artist - over thecourse of fifteen years and eight full-length albums as the leadsinger\u002Fsongwriter for Chicago's Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba hasbeen all of these things. Touring the world, heart on sleeve,Skiba has consistently penned some of the great dark popanthems of the past decade. Now, after so many years as partof the band that has come to define him, Skiba has stepped outfrom the Trio to create Babylon, the debut album from MATTSKIBA AND THE SEKRETS.Babylon doesn't mark a major sonic departure from the infectiouslycatchy, sanguine-stained tunesmanship Skiba is knownfor. The songs are still cleverly-crafted and instantly memorable,but the details of the tracks on Babylon are what separatethis album from all of his previous output. His independencefrom the confines of a group dynamic allow the songs totake flight, subtleties intact, and elevate the music from meresongs to exquisite songcraft.Teaming up with AFI's Hunter Burgan on bass and MyChemical Romance's Jarrod Alexander on drums, Babylonremains the creation of Skiba himself. It's a band, but it's nota band. It was great to have Hunter and Jarrod come in andplay. They are both great musicians and it was a thrill to playwith them. Everyone involved in the album breathed life intothe ideas, making them songs and giving those songs a foundationthat couldn't be stronger or more inspired