Perhaps I’m the wrong person to write this.  I am, at heart, a huge Against Me! fan and probably always will be.  Whenever I try to remove myself from this, everything I write about the group comes out like a history of one of the band’s accomplishments.  This, however, isn’t the message I want to send, and I don’t really care either way that the band hosted an MTV Cribs on their bus or had New Wave named Best Album of 2007 by Spin because, to me, I don’t think Tom Gabel gives a sh*t either way anyway. In short, I’m ready for the raging comments sections and the cries of anarchist-leftovers and the sneering underground claiming that Tom Gabel sold out for a barrel of tea and Amerikan riches.

. . .

I’ll just say it.  White Crosses is a god-damned good rock n roll record.  The catchy hooks are there, the anthemic choruses and the spit and grease of a blue-collared everyman. Perhaps the only problem is that the songs ultimately drown in their own overdone production and lack the punch to compliment poignant lyrics.  Gabel, trading his Southern Roots for the polished New Jersey trend, came out with a record the revels in anti-authority, introspection, and honest choruses that walk a fine line between sincerity and ambiguity.  Middle finger pointed stiffly in the air, Against Me! clearly isn’t the band that we’ve grown to love over the past decade, but aren’t exactly claiming to be, either.

Punk music seems to be having a serious identity crisis as bands are immediately tagged as punk, blogged about, and given the green light to go platinum.  The new “system” of internet prodding leaves little room for creativity and quality though, while bands like The Gaslight Anthem struggles and stumbles through Jersey-Mediocrity on American Slang. On White Crosses, Against Me! refines this rock ‘n’ roll formula, adding a touch of the usual piss and vinegar to rub into authoritative wounds. White Crosses’ title track begins to unravel an album of Gabel’s patented anarchist, philosophical poetry, literally crushing religion and modern culture along the way.  The playful, plodding rhythm is deceiving enough to beg a mainstream, catholic schoolgirl into believing it’s the next summer hit, only to find a deeper message lurking behind Tom’s polished folk-punk voice.

Without Warren Oakes behind the drumkit, Against Me! has lost a defining part of their sound, replacing him with percussive machine gun George Rebelo following his departure from Hot Water Music last June.   White Crosses, unfortunately enough, is a very accessible album that moves the band further from their anarcho-punk roots and will alienate many a listener.  “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” is a brutal farewell to the scene that Tom and Against Me! grew out of in FL and will no doubt breed some hatred.  Gabel recently explained the lyrics behind the song on antimusic.com, explaining his roots in radical politics and his departure from the scene as “trends and fashion emerged”, claiming, in his final lines, “I have no need to supplement my identity through belonging to a scene or exclusively endorsing any brand of political thought. And if anyone is offended by that I feel like it only reaffirms my conviction. For if it’s heresy for an Anarchist to say “F*CK Anarchy” then Anarchism is truly just another flag, and I say burn it along with the rest of them.”

To be completely honest, I didn’t even want to listen to a second of the album, expecting to be as disheartened as I was with first listens of New Wave.  While White Crosses definitely has it’s shockingly mediocre/departure moments, including Gabel’s ode to Bob Dylan, the album still has some firecracker glimpses that reclaim a bit of punk sneer and make me want to revisit their catalog, INCLUDING New Wave.  Lurking behind a generic radio rock veneer, White Crosses is a record that still explores some lyrical ground and political issues. I only wish that the band has strived for a low-fi return to their roots and I can only wholeheartedly agree with a commenter on another blog . . . “We will NEVER see another Reinventing Axl Rose or Eternal Cowboy” . . .

Am I telling you to rush out and buy this album?  No. Definitely not. Bottom line, if you don’t want to drop a penny on a band that used to claim anarchy, then don’t.  I only ask that if you are a fan of Against Me! To listen to the 35-minute sonnet that Tom has put together and give it an earnest once-through.  If you still hate it, do the old albums some justice and give it the finger and a firm “F*ck you”.  At least then Against Me! will still be evoking SOME sort of punk rock renaissance in the modern day.  While Joe Strummer he’s not, it’s unquestionable that Tom Gabel continues churning out music that challenges authority while conveniently wrapping it into a pretty, polished package that gets neatly lodged in your frontal lobe.  White Crosses is an enigma, to say the least.