Against Me!

Against Me! will receive so much criticism from people who won’t even listen to this record that pointing out how mediocre it actually is seems pointless. Long-time champions of anarcho punk ethics and the riot folk sound perpetuated by Plan-It-X Records, Gainesville’s most popular export of late got their tires slashed when they up and signed to Fat. And now here comes their major label debut to further infuriate those who actually believed them when they sang about only ever playing shows in your buddy’s basement. Produced by Butch Vig and accompanied by one of the most excessive publicity campaigns in recent memory ("win a signed guitar!,” "watch the video blogs!, "pre-order for a limited-edition seven-inch”), New Wave is, all distractions aside, a huge disappointment from a band poised to bring their whiskey-drunk sing-alongs to the masses. The opening title track is nothing short of dead dull, as is the shit disco of "Stop” and the mom-friendly pap of "Borne On The FM Waves.” The best song here, "White People For Peace,” is really fucking great but the band already blew their load by releasing it months before the record as a tour-only seven-inch.