Against Me! - White Crosses (2010)

I hate being the guy who complains about a band abandoning their old sound, but it’s difficult to avoid that sentiment with Against Me!’s new album. They have been my favorite band for about four years now, with their debut album Reinventing Axl Rose remaining one of my favorite albums of all time. Now, eight years after they released that album, something is different. Something is even quite different from 2007 when they released New Wave which was a great album despite being miles apart from their debut. Now, in 2010, the songwriting is definitely weaker. I keep feeling as though they’re trying to replicate their previous fury, but not quite nailing it. The lyrics feel a bit forced and are more general complaints than specific criticisms, as they used to be; they’re less hard-hitting. I should note, that in the hands of most bands, these songs would be far worse. Tom Gabel injects passion into everything he says, and his voice is capable of turning a bad song into a mediocre one, a decent one into a great one, and so on, in my mind. “White Crosses,” “High Pressure Low,” and “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” are all quite catchy. “Suffocation” is the best song on the album and fits nicely alongside my favorites from their back catalog. There are a few that I haven’t learned to like yet, but in time I’m sure I’ll come to terms with Against Me!’s changing sound and my opinion of this album will probably become more positive. I think that when they play these songs live, they’ll be performed with the same passion and fury as all of their material. This is certainly my least favorite album of theirs, but I remain a fan because they’ve given me so much terrific music. One album not up to their usual standards is not going to end my fandom, and if they want to play radio-friendly modern rock they’ll do it better than most of the bands doing that.

link in comments