Against Me! are a band that have been constantly evolving over their career, and while White Crosses really isn’t going to sit well with many of the kids that grew up screaming anti-establishment psalms at Tom Gabel, it should be said outright that it’s one of the best records they’ve made.
The influences going into White Crosses can be traced from bits of The Ramones, stadium rock and So Cal punk – and when played to someone without a predisposition to hate it, there’s plenty to love.
‘White Crosses’, ‘Because of the Shame’, ‘Rapid Decompression’ and ‘I Was A Teenage Anarchist’ are the surefure highlights, but Against Me! have always had a knack for making albums that flow well and it’s no different across the ten tracks here.
New Wave was much maligned by the fanbase for being a big step away from the Fat and Plan It X era records in style and label, and as someone who owns all of those records, I did tend to agree then – but White Crosses is a different beast.
Admittedly, the fast anger has been replaced with restrained reflectiveness, and that’s fair game for critics – but sometimes it’s better just to accept a band make different music, shut your eyes and appreciate a good record when it appears.
If a criticism’s to be levelled – ten songs feels a bit cheap, but if that’s at the expense of filler, so be it. Definitely a potential contender for a few best of year lists in 2010 if given a chance.