I had to write a CD review for my music class. I thought, well this would be a good time to listen to New Wave, which I had been putting off for so long. I know - it came out in 2007. But after all I heard about it, I was avoiding it so much.
I never realized how emotional towards music I am until I listened to it. Sure, there are many songs that have made me cry, but it was how it related to my personal life, not the band. I was crying because of the band. I felt like I was mourning the loss of my favorite band. It was... strange. Paul talked me through it, but... I just couldn't believe it. I think maybe a small part of it was the bad night I was having, but still. I had to listen to the Acoustic ep to make myself feel better. It was strange, as I have said.
We'll have to see how it gets graded. Actually, that doesn't matter much to me. I lost my favorite band.
CD Review:
Against Me! - New Wave (2007)
On the 2001 release The Acoustic ep, the first words Tom Gabel, guitarist and vocalist of Against Me! (sic), says are, "Tell me how could you compromise yourself like this?" After listening to their 2007 release, New Wave, I find myself asking the same exact question.
Three years ago, Against Me! released their third full-length, Searching For A Former Clarity, to some controversy as to whether the band would stay on their current label Fat Wreck Chords, or switch to major Universal. The band stayed on Fat, but for New Wave, the band took a large step and switched to Sire Records, home of Depeche Mode, HIM, and The Veronicas. Maybe it is the idea that such an amazing underground punk band went so big, or that they actually changed their sound for commercial media, but something is very different about the band Against Me!
Much of New Wave seems to be a tirade at the current state of the music industry, both the commercialization and digitalization of it. But the irony of it all is that the band seems to be falling into that same rut with almost every song on the album. On the second track, "Up The Cuts," Gabel sings about watching music on TV and how homogenized it sounds; yet on many days turn on MTV and this same band is featured. It would be one thing if they were on MTV with songs from Reinventing Axl Rose, their first full-length, or any other release, but when it is a watered down version of the aforementioned music, the impact of the lyrics are laughable. Before the repetition kicks in, "Stop" actually sounds like classic Against Me! music, but the connection ends there. The song talks about what could be if a band goes mainstream and tells said band to "Stop, take some time to think, figure out what's important to you." But AM! does not seem to be following the same advice, and instead is living the fantasy, singing, "All of our lives dedicated to shoving it right back in their fucking face." To a fan, it cuts deep even though the lyrics were surely meant to be sarcastic. In another diatribe against the music industry, the track "Piss And Vinegar," Gabel pleads to bands, "A little less professional, a little more up front and confrontational," which seems ironic as the confrontation and vigor that once bled from AM! albums is deeply missing. Tattoos and the misnomer of being a punk band do not save a band from falling into the cracks of commercial mainstream.
Another song that cuts deep into the heart of an Against Me! fan is the song "White People For Peace," which seems to contradict every political, direct action song AM! ever wrote. In this song, Gabel says, "The people sang protest songs to try to stop the soldier's gun. But the battle raged on." It is unclear whether these words were written in frustration at the lack of change in the current war, or whether the words from "Clich Guevara" are no longer substantial to the band ("Well there's a lot of things that should be said so we're hammering six strings.")
Despite the extreme changes AM! went through on the majority of this album, their Crass roots still show through, as do the sounds from their previous albums. Surprisingly the first single from the album, "Thrash Unreal," is one of these exceptions. While the background call-and-response type vocals lend a pop sensibility to the track, the lyrics and sound are pure AM! circa As The Eternal Cowboy. The words "If she had to live it all over again you know she wouldn't change anything for the world," are reminiscent of "Walking Is Still Honest," and "You Look Like I Need A Drink." One of the first songs released from this album, "Americans Abroad," is appealing as it integrates the introspection of previous AM! songs with the idea of commercialization, especially at the end: "Wherever we go Coca-Cola's already been. We're Americans Abroad! I just can't help but think that there's a comparison. While I hope I'm not like them, I'm not so sure." Thankfully, Against Me! ended this extreme change in music with a standard to their previous albums: ending with a beautiful, slow song. In this case, the song is "The Ocean," and it does not disappoint and throws back to "8 Full Hours Of Sleep," "Cavalier Eternal," and "Searching For A Former Clarity." Gabel, James Bowman, Andrew Seward, and Warren Oakes end a shocking album by saying, "There is an ocean in my soul where the waters do not curve," almost fully redeeming themselves.
Without knowing the intricacies of production techniques, I cannot help but wonder if it is the Butch Vig production, or the band itself who are to blame, for lack of better word, for the new sound? Without Vig, Nirvana would have never become the sensation that rocked the early nineties, the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream would have never been as amazing as it was, and AFI's Sing The Sorrow probably would have never reached the audiences it did. It is possible his production techniques will be what helps this album gain as much attention as it has, and will.
Despite my distaste for the album as a whole, I recognize the importance it has on the music industry in the current time. Whether the influence is good or bad, I am not sure. New Wave is the forerunner in this musical generation's "punk revolution," just as Good Charlotte held the title years prior. It was Good Charlotte who led many eleven year olds in 2001 to bands such as Rancid, The Unseen, and even Black Flag. Every musical generation must have these influences, and maybe Against Me! will hold the title well.
I never realized how emotional towards music I am until I listened to it. Sure, there are many songs that have made me cry, but it was how it related to my personal life, not the band. I was crying because of the band. I felt like I was mourning the loss of my favorite band. It was... strange. Paul talked me through it, but... I just couldn't believe it. I think maybe a small part of it was the bad night I was having, but still. I had to listen to the Acoustic ep to make myself feel better. It was strange, as I have said.
We'll have to see how it gets graded. Actually, that doesn't matter much to me. I lost my favorite band.
CD Review:
Against Me! - New Wave (2007)
On the 2001 release The Acoustic ep, the first words Tom Gabel, guitarist and vocalist of Against Me! (sic), says are, "Tell me how could you compromise yourself like this?" After listening to their 2007 release, New Wave, I find myself asking the same exact question.
Three years ago, Against Me! released their third full-length, Searching For A Former Clarity, to some controversy as to whether the band would stay on their current label Fat Wreck Chords, or switch to major Universal. The band stayed on Fat, but for New Wave, the band took a large step and switched to Sire Records, home of Depeche Mode, HIM, and The Veronicas. Maybe it is the idea that such an amazing underground punk band went so big, or that they actually changed their sound for commercial media, but something is very different about the band Against Me!
Much of New Wave seems to be a tirade at the current state of the music industry, both the commercialization and digitalization of it. But the irony of it all is that the band seems to be falling into that same rut with almost every song on the album. On the second track, "Up The Cuts," Gabel sings about watching music on TV and how homogenized it sounds; yet on many days turn on MTV and this same band is featured. It would be one thing if they were on MTV with songs from Reinventing Axl Rose, their first full-length, or any other release, but when it is a watered down version of the aforementioned music, the impact of the lyrics are laughable. Before the repetition kicks in, "Stop" actually sounds like classic Against Me! music, but the connection ends there. The song talks about what could be if a band goes mainstream and tells said band to "Stop, take some time to think, figure out what's important to you." But AM! does not seem to be following the same advice, and instead is living the fantasy, singing, "All of our lives dedicated to shoving it right back in their fucking face." To a fan, it cuts deep even though the lyrics were surely meant to be sarcastic. In another diatribe against the music industry, the track "Piss And Vinegar," Gabel pleads to bands, "A little less professional, a little more up front and confrontational," which seems ironic as the confrontation and vigor that once bled from AM! albums is deeply missing. Tattoos and the misnomer of being a punk band do not save a band from falling into the cracks of commercial mainstream.
Another song that cuts deep into the heart of an Against Me! fan is the song "White People For Peace," which seems to contradict every political, direct action song AM! ever wrote. In this song, Gabel says, "The people sang protest songs to try to stop the soldier's gun. But the battle raged on." It is unclear whether these words were written in frustration at the lack of change in the current war, or whether the words from "Clich Guevara" are no longer substantial to the band ("Well there's a lot of things that should be said so we're hammering six strings.")
Despite the extreme changes AM! went through on the majority of this album, their Crass roots still show through, as do the sounds from their previous albums. Surprisingly the first single from the album, "Thrash Unreal," is one of these exceptions. While the background call-and-response type vocals lend a pop sensibility to the track, the lyrics and sound are pure AM! circa As The Eternal Cowboy. The words "If she had to live it all over again you know she wouldn't change anything for the world," are reminiscent of "Walking Is Still Honest," and "You Look Like I Need A Drink." One of the first songs released from this album, "Americans Abroad," is appealing as it integrates the introspection of previous AM! songs with the idea of commercialization, especially at the end: "Wherever we go Coca-Cola's already been. We're Americans Abroad! I just can't help but think that there's a comparison. While I hope I'm not like them, I'm not so sure." Thankfully, Against Me! ended this extreme change in music with a standard to their previous albums: ending with a beautiful, slow song. In this case, the song is "The Ocean," and it does not disappoint and throws back to "8 Full Hours Of Sleep," "Cavalier Eternal," and "Searching For A Former Clarity." Gabel, James Bowman, Andrew Seward, and Warren Oakes end a shocking album by saying, "There is an ocean in my soul where the waters do not curve," almost fully redeeming themselves.
Without knowing the intricacies of production techniques, I cannot help but wonder if it is the Butch Vig production, or the band itself who are to blame, for lack of better word, for the new sound? Without Vig, Nirvana would have never become the sensation that rocked the early nineties, the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream would have never been as amazing as it was, and AFI's Sing The Sorrow probably would have never reached the audiences it did. It is possible his production techniques will be what helps this album gain as much attention as it has, and will.
Despite my distaste for the album as a whole, I recognize the importance it has on the music industry in the current time. Whether the influence is good or bad, I am not sure. New Wave is the forerunner in this musical generation's "punk revolution," just as Good Charlotte held the title years prior. It was Good Charlotte who led many eleven year olds in 2001 to bands such as Rancid, The Unseen, and even Black Flag. Every musical generation must have these influences, and maybe Against Me! will hold the title well.