Against Me! - New Wave

Against Me!
New Wave
Sire
Grade: A-

As with their like-minded punk rock brethren (Rise Against, Anti-Flag), enormous questions loomed over Against Me!’s first record on major label Sire after being in residence at Fat Wreck Chords and No Idea. And like their brethren, Against Me takes the opportunity of massive resources to release one of their best records with the ten-song New Wave. Possibly not as raw and exposed as earlier material, the heightened production value on New Wave does little to lessen Against Me’s intensity and messages.

Against Me initially started ten years ago as lead singer Tom Gabel’s solo acoustic punk project in Gainesville, FL. Playing wherever he could, it took Gabel and his later compatriots several years to become a lean, mean punk rock machine. After spittles of singles, comps, and EPs, Against Me’s first true full-length Reinventing Axl Rose came in 2002 on Gainesville’s No Idea Records. This was the first record where Gabel and company employed full electric guitars and structured themselves as a traditional rock band. After the 2002 EP The Disco Before the Breakdown, Against Me settled on the lineup that continues today: Gabel on lead vocals/guitar, Warren Oakes on drums, James Bowman on guitar, and Andy Seward on bass. Against Me then released As the Eternal Cowboy in 2003 on Fat Wreck Chords – causing the start of the grumps chanting about selling out. But, the band continued on Fat Wreck with 2005’s Searching for Former Clarity, even after majors were chasing them with full aggression. At the end of 2005, the inevitable occurred and Against Me signed with Sire – fully severing the chord with some fans but also creating a much wide spectrum of interest for the band. Before cutting ties with Fat Wreck, Against Me released the 2006 live record Americans Aboard!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!, in order to satisfy their contract with the label.

Though the most curmudgeon and anti-major label listeners will take the album’s title as proof of majors pushing bands to release more poppy and radio-friendly anthems, the title from the band’s perspective speaks to their intent of sweeping out the riff-raff in the rock scene. Helping them in this endeavor is uber-rock producer Butch Vig; who helmed the boards of classic records from Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana, among others. The smart thing about Vig is that he maintains a band’s integrity while simultaneously increasing songwriting and production quality; basically a constant and consistent win-win for all involved. For a major label rock record, New Wave is rather short – ten songs at thirty-three minutes. Yet, the length and sequencing comes across as nearly perfect – hurrying you in some places, fixating in others, and always bringing you back for more.

New Wave opens on the pulse-thumping title-track where Against Me are punching out their best Bruce Springsteen punk; or smoothing out and prettying up Avail. This stronger opener is quickly followed by the up-picking “Up the Cuts,” where Against Me rock Clash reggae into an agro-package. “Up the Cuts,” though succeeds mostly due to the hip-tapping chorus of “Are you restless like me?” However, the most attention-grabbing song on New Wave comes from the next song, “Thrash Unreal.” A somewhat odd title bringing images of metal crossed with a violent video game, “Thrash Unreal” is possible one of the best rock songs of 2007. Featuring a further dip into Bruce Springsteen/John Cougar Mellencamp American rock, the song is four-plus minutes of punk genius revolving around a washed up, junky mother in a burnt out town. After such a tremendous anthem it is hard for the record not to inevitably come off its pedestal. Not slipping too far, “White People for Peace” and “Stop” follow – both hook your ears but also feature slightly awkward lyrics. Gabel continues to place the lyrics into terrific melodies, but the chorus of “protest song in response to military aggression” on “White People for Peace” and the funk line of “Stop! Take some time to think” on “Stop” sound pedestrian by Against Me standards. Providing another high point on New Wave, Against Me teams up with Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara for vocals on the slow mover “Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart.” “Piss and Vinegar” is just that – intense punk rock that’s grumpy, angry, and well-placed. As the only new song on their 2006 live record “Americans Aboard” speaks to Americans traveling the world in today’s climate of anti-American economic and foreign policy. New Wave closes on the average “Animal” and Brit-poppy “The Ocean” – not exactly the ideal way to close an otherwise impressive album.

Although Against Me crosses several degrees of listeners – past, present, and future – New Wave has both the singles to keep Sire content without sacrificing the overall quality of the record. With such a set of powerful anthems look for Against Me to further explode in the coming year.