Label: Sire
Released: July 10, 2007
It’s always weird when a band you liked from their early days ends up with a major label deal and a lot of hype to back it up. Such is the case with Against Me! From the days of Reinventing Axl Rose, they showed a passion that few bands can match, but their real charm came from their raw, awkward approach. The question now that they’re on Sire is, “Can they walk that line between their charming awkwardness and major label slickness?”
The answer seems to be yes. New Wave is certainly more polished that previous efforts, but that’s just a bigger jump in what has been a gradual track for the band. The songwriting is more consistent. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of As the Eternal Cowboy, but it also fills in the lows. The result is an album that, rather than splitting the difference, overall comes out better. In order to reach this even ground, Against Me! doesn’t smooth out all of the edges though. Some of the lyrics have those lines that thrive on awkwardness, yet they wouldn’t be as good if they fit better. The sound is still gritty, just bigger. There are a few tracks that depart from the past a bit. “Stop!” reminds me more of the dance-oriented new wave of Frankie Goes to Hollywood than it does of punk rock and “Bourne on the FM Waves of the Heart” has all the bombast of an 80s power ballad. But all in all, the band has simply tweaked its sound in way that retains its punk roots and will allow them to play arenas.
So, they can walk that line. There is little on New Wave that should alienate Against Me!’s old fans aside from the new label and there is plenty that should attract an even broader fan base. They’ve managed to make their sound arena-sized without becoming impersonal and detached and that’s quite a feat.
Rating: 7/10