Review Summary: 3 3 3
Against Me! fans are a testy bunch. Some religiously *** with the first 3 albums only. Some say that third album is actually a damn sell out. Don't you dare mention 'White Crosses'. This was made abundantly clear to be at a concert back in 2010, when the crowd went wild for 'Pints of Guinness Make You Strong' while I was the single person cheering for 'Suffocation' amidst a sea of silent, angry faces.
Anyway, I'm just a dude who like Against Me! I like tracks from all their albums. This either makes me extremely qualified to review this album semi-objectively, or, perhaps not suited at all because I don't understand where the band went wrong all those years ago. All I know is that some people see Laura's rebirth and the subsequent 'Transgender Dysmorphia Blues' LP as a creative reawakening after losing their way… I just thought it was another nice AM! album. I like her songwriting in all its forms. Whatever.
OK, so this album. Those testy fans I mentioned have already ripped it apart in the sputnik ratings, calling the last LP a "fluke". I, honestly, can't fathom why someone would say that. This is solid. Perhaps unremarkable, a bit obvious, but in no way a dud.
Let's start with the production and general sound. I was impressed with the soundscapes and mix on this. It follows in the vein of 'Transgender Dysmorphia Blues' by eschewing the polished sound of 'White Crosses', but doesn't sound harsh or "lo-fi" at all. The bass is clear, the vocals sit well in the mix, it has a nice spacey sound while also giving the tracks a kick. Overall, I was impressed with the sound of the album. For example, I was quite impressed with the way the bass carries 'Delicate, Petite & Other Things I'll Never Be', making it sonically akin to a dirtier 'Don't Lose Touch'.
How's the songwriting? Utilising the production to its benefit, the songs are simple but effective. 'Provision L3' launches the album with a short burst of punk protest focused against airport scanners. 'Boyfriend' announces itself as an early standout with its earworm gang vocal chorus "treating me like a boyfriend… some dumb ***ingÂ*boyfriend!". Following straight after, 'Crash' relies on Laura's voice takes the song on a rollercoaster ride, culminating in the titular "crash landing". Elsewhere, 'Dead Rats' has a pleasing groove going in the verse before devolving into a shouty punk coda. 'Norse Truth' serves as the de facto album centrepiece, with semi-stream of consciousness lyrics pushing further into lyrical abstraction than Against Me! have gone before. Perhaps this isn't the confessional payload of the previous LP, but, well, we have her recently released memoir for that.
Basically, then, this is Laura Jane Grace's show. Against Me!'s sole remaining lifer, James Bowman, does make his presence felt via high-mix backing vocals on 'Rebecca', serving perhaps as kind of a painful reminder of his rather buried presence from the rest of album. The remainder of the tracks are kind of unimpeachable latter Against Me! tracks. Not going to change the world, but you could play any one of them in your car stereo at high volume and fist pump against the steering wheel while stuck in traffic.
Put aside whatever reservations you have about Against Me! as it currently exists. This is a 3. To quote 'Norse Truth', "c'mon shape shift with me, what have you got to lose? *** it"
