Reviews

New Wave

Against Me!

Released: Jul 10, 2007
Label: Sire Records
Reviewed by: William Jones
3 comments

My personal feeling is that any body of musical work should be considered simply on its own merits, but ultimately, the easiest way to analyze anything is by putting it in some sort of context. For music reviews, this often means comparing to the band's earlier work (if applicable) and how it fits (or doesn't) within the genre of music it most closely resembles. This is why before I get into New Wave, Against Me's major label debut (and the only thing I've really listened to for the last month other than Bad Religion's New Maps of Hell, my review of which should also be up now), I feel that a short recap may be necessary for those still unacquainted with the history of Against Me!

After an early EP with Plan-It-X and Sabot Productions, Against Me! has been subject to the "sell-out" cries of DIY punks. Since their early classic, Reinventing Axl Rose, on No Idea, the band has tried to avoid being pigeonholed as folk-punkers. Many of their early fans took offense when the band signed to Fat Wreck Chords, a label well known in the punk community, but relatively obscure as far as the mainstream is concerned. Still, it was seen as an abandonment of the DIY scene and a betrayal of the band's early lyrical manifestos, and there has been an odd love-hate relationship between the band and their fans ever since.

So, it's really no surprise that many of the old-schoolers denounced New Wave before ever downloading their leaked copies. But it's also no surprise that many have had to put their foot in their mouth and jump on board (with the other leg), because despite the fact that acoustic tracks are conspicuously absent, that it's a highly produced effort by the near-legendary Butch Vig, that there are only ten tracks, that it's a major label album, that one track was already (sort of) released on the band's live effort, that Tegan's hyped "duet" with Tom Gabel isn't quite as impressive as hoped, that there's no "Pints of Guinness"-type sing-a-long, and a slew of other things, it's still Against Me!-the political and social consciousness is still intact, and the songwriting is as good as ever. And really, that's all that matters.

New Wave is, indeed, a departure from the band's previous sound in many ways, but what Against Me! has crafted is more straightforward rock (quite a few repeated choruses, rock beats and guitar riffs), which should be accessible to both punks and mainstream music fans alike. "White People for Peace," the song behind the first video from the album, is sort of a meta-protest song that digs into the politics of war, those that try to protest it, and in the last lines ("But the battle raged on..."), the ineffectiveness of those protests.

"Piss and Vinegar," my other favorite tune, is a very direct challenge to phony, well-publicized acts to "Just say what you're thinking!" While still as polished, from a production standpoint, as the rest of the album, this is probably the biggest throwback to a younger Against Me! sound found on the album. In 2:27, the band rips through the song with no real chorus to speak of.

There's also a very interesting female element to the album that seems worth noting. "Thrash Unreal" focuses on an aging female character and looks at differing values in life. "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart" is the duet with Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, and it's essentially a relationship song. The most interesting point, though, is the series of lines in "The Ocean," the album's closing track, where Gabel sings, "If I could have chosen / I would have been born a women / My mother once told me she would have named me Laura" and goes on to describe finding a husband, having children, and living a family life on the ocean.

"Stop!" has an almost dance-like feel to it, and if Against Me! wanted to go the big-time corporate route, I keep having visions of silhouettes swaying to this on an iPod commercial...I know, I know, I'm just pushing people's buttons now. "Stop!" does have a heavy pop feel, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if this gets a lot of radio play down the line.

The album is pretty well-rounded, opening with "New Wave" and closing with 'The Ocean," and it's apparent that there are a few recurring themes throughout the effort, and the flow of the album is very well-constructed, but still, many of these songs seem like they could stand on their own.

While it's a great effort, overall, there are a few items worth commenting on. While the lyrics of "Borne on the FM..." speak of a rocky relationship, the disconnect between Gabel and Quin is just too much. It sounds as though each singer timed and recorded their respective parts, with no chemistry between the two voices. "Animal," the second-to-last track, doesn't seem to fit the tone of anything else on the album. It comes out of nowhere, does its thing, and then makes way for "The Ocean." Ultimately, it just doesn't fit. And ten tracks, at 33 minutes, is just too damn short.

Then again, every time New Wave comes to a close, I let it loop and play again, and again, and again, which is either a testament to the band's great songwriting, or the lack of anything else worthwhile in the music scene lately. I'll give Against Me! the credit and give my nod to the former. Big D's take on traditional ska was my early summer go-to album, and despite New Wave's flaws, it looks like I'll be riding Against Me's latest until it's over.