After Against Me! moved to Fat Wreck last year there was a dark hush of disapproval from their loyal fan base as to what would happen to their beloved band. Fat are the label people seemingly love to hate, and their move surprised a few, but to others it was maybe expected after the superb ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’ released on No Idea. So is their second full length worth the money or has the ‘semi-major’ label been justified and the band have turned into puppets? Bluntly put, this is good. Oh it is very good.
Luckily for us all they have retained their trademark sound of emotional politically charged punk rock with all the hand clapping and foot stomping in tow to create a sound that can only be labelled as their own. Many of us were inclined to worry about the production of the eleven tracks on offering though, but thankfully the ‘Fat’ polish is minimalist and it is arguably their best sounding release to date, managing to find middle ground between rough and ragged and nicely preened for our listening pleasure. Sure their will be the classic few out there who think they have changed for the worse, but the general consensus is that this is Against Me! at pretty much their best, with all the vital ingredients in the mixer, to create a hybrid of musical diversity.
Beginning with T.S.R (This Shit Rules), it pretty much epitomises what to expect from the four piece with the trademark guitar sound and grainy vocals from frontman Tom Gabel proving a worthy opener. Song name of the year goes to ‘Cliché Guevara’ and the energy is upped seven fold before ‘Mutiny on the Electronic Bay’ proves a more thoughtful number as the bands strong political opinions shine through. ‘Sink. Florida. Sink’ is a highlight for myself as the acoustic guitar and gentle piano take centre stage in a sincerely heartfelt number. ‘Slurring the Rhythms’ and ‘Rice and Bread’ both storm out the blocks at an incredible rate and the passion of the music literally screams at you through your stereo.
‘A brief yet Triumphant Intermission’ does exactly what it says on the title and is nothing more than a competent instrumental number while ‘Unsubstantial Rumours…’ is another acoustic track which is arguably one of the weaker efforts, but still holds its own. ‘You look like I need a Drink’ does what Against Me! do best and brings the pace up to another level with the vocals once again standing out. ‘Turn those clapping hands into angry balled fists’ is another political hotbed while ‘Cavalier Eternal’ closes the album on a soft high note.
Simply put, this is a stunning album. The only minor detraction is that it is a mere 26 minutes long, but that is no cause for complaint when all eleven tracks are crafted to perfection. I’m not marking this as a perfect 5 as I feel ‘Reinventing…’ is the slightly better offering but no Against Me! fan can have any cause for complaint.
Jay