Our local pick of the month is Against Me!'s White Crosses

Story by Jon Silman; photos provided to INsite

Against Me! White Crosses Review
3.75 stars

It's inherently impossible to talk about a new against Against Me! record without mentioning the bands last album, New Wave. That record put the folk-punk band on the map, on the road with the Foo Fighters and onto the billboard charts, debuting at No. 57. It would eventually be named album of the year by Spin magazine for 2007. The album was 10 blistering songs produced by Butch Vig (Green Day, Nirvana) and made for mass consumption. The new album is the same, sans drummer Warren Oakes, who left the band to open a downtown Mexican party spot/eatery, Boca Fiesta.

White Crosses can be seen, if anything, as an extension of New Wave. Those die-hard fans, who were put off by the album's polished sheen, will not find a return to the band's gravel-punk roots. This album sounds huge, concise and focused. The band's first single, "I Was A Teenage Anarchist," is an all encompassing ode to youth with the fiery chorus, "Do you remember? When you were young and you wanted to set the world on fire!" Lead singer Tom Gabel is aware of his band's crossover sensibility, and the album suffers a bit in Vig's catch-all, understated production values. There are no screeching moments of passionate fury, fans would come to expect from Gabel's signature vocal style. This does allow for more of a focus on Gabel's significant songwriting ability.

"Spanish Moss," is an Against Me! take on a classic U2 feel, and the album's closer, "Bamboo Bones," features an electric-neon guitar intro with a vintage Clash dance-punk verse. Every track on the record is a swing for the fences ordeal, and even though some miss, the polished set should raise the bands profile even more than the last album did. While punk purists will probably avoid the album for its inclusiveness, the average listener can pick up where the die-hard fans fell off. Against Me! has effectively stepped up its game.

Check out our interview with Against Me!

Couldn't make it to Bonnaroo? Here are some pics of Against Me! and others.

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