It must be hard being in the Punk Rock scene, you put out an album or two that is traditional punk in style and lyrics and your expected to repeat for the rest of your career. That’s punk rock, any form of change towards progression or mixed with another genre and it’s tyranny to the sound and the fans will drop you in a second, it almost sounds like communism. Against Me! was one of those bands for a long time until they released New Wave in 2007 on Sire Records which blew up the band into the mainstream and incorporated more rock n roll into their Folk Punk sound. The criticism was mostly by the fans considering Spin magazine named it Album of the Year and Rolling Stone put it in it’s top 5 for the year. I had never really listened to the band before until I heard “Thrash Unreal” and decided to pick up the album and found it to be quite an awesome album all together. It’s almost unfair that Tom Gabel (Guitar, Vocals) started this band by himself on a demo just screaming and playing acoustic guitar in coffee shops was criticized and “booed” in his own hometown of Gainesville, Florida when he returned to do a solo show. He was even confronted at a bar by a former fan who was accusing him of selling out and completely going against what Against Me! stood for. The verbal altercation turned into a physical confrontation and Tom Gabel and the fan were arrested for starting a public fight. After plenty of touring and taking a lot of shit, Against Me! lost long time drummer Warren Oakes to family reasons and had to be replaced by former Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo to record their latest album White Crosses.
The album was slated for an early June release but it was leaked somehow a whole three months early with actually no ill will from Gabel who actually posted the lyrics to every song online for the fans. Being nosey and interested in their new album I had to check it out and will make sure I pick up the vinyl version when pre order’s are up. White Crosses is not going to get the old Against Me! fans back and why should it, the album in my opinion is great and an awesome stride from New Wave. If I was able to describe this album I would say it’s New Wave mashed with Springsteen’s Born In The USA and The Clash’s London Calling and it is just a delight to listen to all the way through. The album starts off with the title track and it’s a punk rock type song with anti religion type lyrics that set off a nice tempo for the album that meshes the sound of the last album into this one. The next track “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” is probably the best and most catchy track on the album which I can’t help but think listening to the lyrics that Gabel wrote it as a song about his rebellious early years and how he and the band has grown over the years to realize that rebellion and punk has become legit and therefore is no longer punk or rebellious. A sort of fuck you to the old fans who don’t realize the change in the scene and the band as a necessary growth, pretty deep actually. The following track “Because of the Shame” is a very catchy track as well which actually incorporates some piano in the background of the punk bass and guitar lines. The next track a very emotional and relatable track in “We’re Breaking Up” talks about why a couple needs to break up and the whole song he’s yelling in his raspy snarl, the reasons they can’t be together anymore and in the end realizes they can’t leave each other. As a whole the album is probably the best lyrically written that Gabel has done and his growth as a song writer has progressed tremendously since his early years as an anti establishment folk singer. The tracks “Rabid Decompression” and “Bamboo Bones” stay true to their older style with no sass in the punk rock sound and compliment the end of the album as it began. I really like this album a lot and can’t stop listening to the track “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” which to me sounds like their “Born In The USA” as it breaks down everytime into a catchy sing along chorus “Do you remember, when you were young and you wanted to set the world on fire?” I can’t wait till these songs hit the air and people start listening to this band more and more even if people accuse them of selling out. Check out “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” below.
