Reviewed by: Mick
If The Clash declared Rock and Roll dead in 1979 then Against Me! has sounded its wake up call. Tom Gabel and company have assembled their tightest and most concise release to date; a strait up rock album, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, New Wave presents the story of an entrainment industry too large and self absorbed to recognize its own collapse and decline, with an American public that is to troubled and tired to care. Tom Gabel’s growling, harmonizing vocals as always provide a sense of urgency and immanence to the group’s sound, something that has been surprisingly enhanced by the albums clean and polished production. Production of this quality is often a death knell to punk band’s normally distorted sound, but Against Me! comes through it remarkably well with the help of seasoned production engineer Butch Vig. (Vig is best known for his work with Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sonic Youth.)
Arguably, the strongest asset of the band has always been Gabel’s lyrics, and New wave is no exception. Dealing with the decline of artistic integrity, a music industry ready to chew up and spit artists at a whim, and industry worries about the declines in sales while continuing to produce an infinitely disposable product, Gabel shows no sympathy for the devil with tracks like “Up the Cuts”, and “Piss and Vinegar”. Where the album really shines though is on tracks like “White People for Peace”, where the need for, and ultimate futility of, war protest songs is identified in the most abrasive way possible, and “Thrash Unreal” a poppy ode to your local bar scene and wasted opportunity. Against Me! unapologetically depicts an America tried and ready for a change of pace. While punk purists might still be pining for the band’s salad days of Reinventing Axle Rose, Against Me! has inevitably matured into one the most interesting and relevant acts of the later half of this decade, and shows no sign of giving that status up anytime soon.
Score: 5 out of 5 |
