YOU CAN'T NOT GET NO SATISFACTION

Against Me!

New Wave

  • AMG Review of New Wave

    Amg
    Corey Apar
    All Music Guide

    There is a legion of Against Me! fans who want only for the band's music to sound exactly as it did on Reinventing Axl Rose -- scrappy punk/folk and nothing else. But with as talented a songwriter as Tom Gabel leading the way, it's ridiculous to think that the band would be satisfied complying. Growth is necessary; change is inevitable. In the case of New Wave, different doesn't automatically mean bad. As their first album on major label Sire, it's a straight-up ock record. Especially thanks to Butch Vig in the production seat, New Wave is crisp, direct, and sharp. It's clean, but not glossy; it's defiant; it's brash; it's heartfelt. And while it's true that New Wave doesn't initially hit with the same force as prior albums, a few spins later and the record has found its footing and sinks in brilliantly. Though the sound is not raw and gritty like those early days, the passion behind the songs is the exact same. There is a real sense of frustration guiding these tracks -- with society, with the music scene -- but as the title track incites, "We can be the bands we wanna hear/We can define our own generation," Against Me! shows resilience. The catchy bounce-step of songs like "Up the Cuts" and "Stop!" (one of their danciest numbers yet) recognizes the hollowness of fame and hype, and the former's probing "Are you restless like me?" is as urgent a plea as you'll hear on record this year. Lead single "White People for Peace" brilliantly acknowledges both the need for and futility of protest songs, one of many instances that prove that despite sonic changes, Gabel's tongue has only sharpened. Overall, the concise ten-song set is the most direct batch of songs Against Me! has written thus far, yet the band constantly mixes things up, as in the meditative closer, "The Ocean," the dark, fuzzed-out anti-romanticism of "Animal," and the realization of love faded in the arresting duet between Gabel and Tegan Quin (of Tegan and Sara) in "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart." New Wave is over way too soon, but the vitality rippling through every barked word is electric and makes up for all left behind on the cutting room floor. It just means you can press repeat that much sooner. Signing to Sire didn't make the band sellouts -- especially not when the music is still delivered with as much steadfast conviction and genuine emotion as it is. Who knows where they'll go next, but as for the 2000s, Against Me! remains one of the most exciting and significant bands operating in punk.

The Value of Music Debate Continues - Against Me!
about 1 year ago

I'm really diggin this track, and band. I read a review by Rawkiddoh a while ago, and picked it up at my benevolent library. I wont claim any expertise on the band, but I really like the straightforward nature of the music, smart lyrics, and just good ol' rock n' roll. So is it ironic that I've uploaded this track, being what it's about? Or is it just stating that of course music has no value...

More >
New Video : Against Me! : New Wave
about 1 year ago

--- - |- I really do love this band. New Wave was easily one of my favorite albums last year and still is. Can't wait to see Against Me! live again. They pay homage to The Replacement's Bastards Of Young in this new video directed by Justin Staggs. Against Me "New Wave" -------------------------------------------------------- ~~- Against Me!

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The Real Top Ten
about 1 year ago
Blog post image preview

So yeah, I cheated on my top 10 bands, but I'll go for real for shizz on this list. Here's the 10 songs released in the Oh-Seven that filled my musical world with shiny moments. And yes, this list is highly subjective. And if you're smart and in touch with your inner Freud, you'll be able to deduce exactly what kind of psycho I am based on my musical interests.1. Iron And Wine - "Resurrectio...

More >
Has Against Me! Made the Most Important Record of 2007?
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

Just when I thought that Against Me! had made their "swan song" with _Searching for a Former Clarity_ they put out an album that defies sub-genres in rock (Tom Gabel is sick of you calling him "punk") and makes bold statements about...well...everything! I think more than anything they pose the serious question of "Are you restless like me" in the track "Up the Cuts." However, they serve up song...

More >
Against Me! - "White People For Peace"
over 2 years ago

Against Me! preview their forthcoming new album New Wave with a live video of "White People For Peace" taken from their performance on December 14, 2006 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, CA. Against Me! are preparing to release their Butch Vig produced album in the spring on Sire Records. Against Me! are quite simply one of the most important bands in music today.

More >
for the friend I seem to have lost
about 1 year ago

It amazes me how easily people can cast others out of their lives and not seem to think anything of it. This summer I lost a close friend, no reason given for the ending of our friendship just a stoppage of all communication and I am left to wonder why. I never understood why people do this, there are other facotrs in the equation when it comes to a relationship. Yet, it seems to happen to me m...

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Christmas in July
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

After months of waiting I finally got my hands on the new Against Me! album, and needless to say it blew me away. I will have to write an review on it, but right now I am enjoying listening to it for the first time. Its like nothing they have ever put out, and by far the best album I have heard this year. Nothing like an early birthday present for me, gotta say thanks to the boys of Against Me!...

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Against Me! New web site, new video
over 2 years ago

The past two days have been crazy ones for me. Losing power for almost 24 hours, 200 plus emails from mog, 2 soccer games in 90 degree heat, and the list goes on and on. I am finally caught up, and on a whim went to check an see if Against Me! have updated their web site that has been down for some time. I was happy to see that not only do they have a brand spanking new web site, but they have ...

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New Against Me! featuring Tegan Quin video
about 1 year ago

Pretty awesome music video for "Borne on the FM Air Waves of the Heart" featuring Tegan Quin. Directed By Nate Weaver.This song is taken from Against Me!'s fourth full-length New Wave.Against Me! | Myspace | Itinerary | Buy

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Against Me! Unveil Tracklist
over 2 years ago

Love getting news like this, even when I know I might be dead before the weekend hits. Alternative Press has gotten hold of the tracklisting for New Wave, the new album from socio-political punk band Against Me!. The album will come out July 10 on Sire Records, which they signed with in 2005.New Wave tracklisting:1. New Wave2. Up The Cuts3. Thrash Unreal4. White People For Peace5. Stop6. Borne ...

More >
The Real Top Ten
about 1 year ago
Blog post image preview

So yeah, I cheated on my top 10 bands, but I'll go for real for shizz on this list. Here's the 10 songs released in the Oh-Seven that filled my musical world with shiny moments. And yes, this list is highly subjective. And if you're smart and in touch with your inner Freud, you'll be able to deduce exactly what kind of psycho I am based on my musical interests.1. Iron And Wine - "Resurrectio...

More >
PROTEST MUSIC-- ALIVE, WELL, FROM FLORIDA... AND KICKING ASS
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

A friend turned me on to an indie band from Florida a few years ago, friends of his he said he was 100% positive I would love. He was right. They're Against Me! They're not exactly a new band, more like an underground band that is just starting to surface. Tom Gabel, the singer and guitar player started playing as Against Me a decade and a half ago! He was just an impassioned singer-songwriter ...

More >
Has Against Me! Made the Most Important Record of 2007?
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

Just when I thought that Against Me! had made their "swan song" with _Searching for a Former Clarity_ they put out an album that defies sub-genres in rock (Tom Gabel is sick of you calling him "punk") and makes bold statements about...well...everything! I think more than anything they pose the serious question of "Are you restless like me" in the track "Up the Cuts." However, they serve up song...

More >
The Value of Music Debate Continues - Against Me!
about 1 year ago

I'm really diggin this track, and band. I read a review by Rawkiddoh a while ago, and picked it up at my benevolent library. I wont claim any expertise on the band, but I really like the straightforward nature of the music, smart lyrics, and just good ol' rock n' roll. So is it ironic that I've uploaded this track, being what it's about? Or is it just stating that of course music has no value...

More >
New Video : Against Me! : New Wave
about 1 year ago

--- - |- I really do love this band. New Wave was easily one of my favorite albums last year and still is. Can't wait to see Against Me! live again. They pay homage to The Replacement's Bastards Of Young in this new video directed by Justin Staggs. Against Me "New Wave" -------------------------------------------------------- ~~- Against Me!

More >
Against Me! - "White People For Peace"
over 2 years ago

Against Me! preview their forthcoming new album New Wave with a live video of "White People For Peace" taken from their performance on December 14, 2006 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, CA. Against Me! are preparing to release their Butch Vig produced album in the spring on Sire Records. Against Me! are quite simply one of the most important bands in music today.

More >
man what a song ....
over 2 years ago

thrash unreal ny against me is a great song

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