Oh, Condoleeza, Do You Get the Fucking Joke?!?

This is not punk rock. This is not rock n' roll. This is Against Me!

With the aggression and anthems you want from punk, the hooks you expect from rock, and the honesty of folk, Against Me!'s third album is a killer. Right out of the gate.

I first heard AM in 2003, right after their second album "As the Eternal Cowboy" came out. I was hanging out at the Magic Stick on a Tuesday night and whoever was DJing played "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" from their first album "Reinventing Axl Rose." It blew me away. I instantly felt like I was hearing a young, American, and more punk version of the Pogues with none of the traditional Irish sounds. Does that make any sense? It was folky, but emotive, and very much like an Irish drinking song without being Irish. So, that year they were on tour with Anti-Flag. It was a Saturday night and I had to DJ at 9pm, but I knew that AM were playing in the Majestic Theater next door at 8pm, so I went over and checked it out. Then I bought the first album and the one that had just come out. Later I was DJing in the bowling alley, and I really wanted to play my new CDs. I put on "Pints of Guinness..." and these people who were bowling on the lanes right in front of me kind of started laughing and jokingly singing along.

Crap. As a courtesy, I try not to play an artist if they're hanging out at the bar. They don't want to hear their own songs when they're trying to relax and have a good time. Some get a little embarrassed, too. Okay, some are totally full of themselves, and like to be able to point it out to the chick they're hitting on. "This is my song, I'm the singer..." Whatever. Anyway, I've managed to play an artist's music by accident when they're hanging out so many times: John Speck from Hoarse & the Fags, Guided By Voices, Jason Falkner, The Business, Agnostic Front, The Dragons, The Kills, White Stripes, The Hentchmen, Brendan Benson, Jello Biafra, and those are just the ones I distinctly remember. I know I've done it a million times.

So, that night when Anti-Flag played in the Theater with Against Me!, I did it again. They were really cool about it, though. In fact, James Bowman, who plays either bass or guitar ended up sitting up on the ledge of the DJ booth most of the night going through my CDs and pulling out one after another. Then they tipped me $50 for playing songs for them! This brings up something about their character and a heavy theme in their latest album. The title track from the first album "Reinventing Axl Rose" was all about how they just want to play and they don't care if they're ever rockstars or make a million dollars, they said "we'd do it all because we have to, not because we know why." Simple. They probably made good money playing that tour with Anti-Flag and didn't mind tossing a fifty to me for making their night a little better by playing "American Girl" from Tom Petty. That is punk rock, my friend.

So, that first album was very political. Well articulated, and the songs were tight. Lots of emotion. Not emo, but emotive. Strong, forceful lyrics telling us how it's gonna be. More like how it's gotta be. The second album "As the Eternal Cowboy" was good, too, but it was obviously a bit more mature. More songs about relationships, more focus on creating a unique sound. I liked it, but I liked the first better.

A few weeks ago, the latest from Against Me! came out. "Searching For a Former Clarity" had me hooked with the first song "Miami." It's an analogy comparing some undefined evil to the reasons why they hate Miami. It's vague, but I like it.

The next song, "Mediocrity Gets You Pears" reminds me musically of something from the Buzzcocks or maybe even early Magazine.

"Justin" is one of those songs I mentioned above with the rock hooks, the punk anthems, and the folk honesty. Okay, forget that, the whole album's that way. Every single song.

"Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners" not only rips off that big hit from Franz Ferdinand, but lyrically it's all about how much they loathe the music business and how the suits don't really care about the artists. I think it's an intentional ripoff to highlight what's big in music right now while ripping the industry at the same time.

After that is a requisite political song ("From Her Lips To God's Ears - The Energizer") all about Condoleeza Rice. This may be the strongest song on the record musically. Maybe I need to re-state that. Maybe it's just because I've listened to that song every day for the past four days while driving down the highway to and from work. All of the songs are the strongest.

Unlike the previous two albums, they didn't tack the slower acoustic songs onto the end, they actually sprinkled them throughout, and there isn't just one, there's a few. This is seriously strong shit. Lyrically, musically, politically, personally, it's big. Huge, in fact.

I loved the first album, and I liked the second a lot, but I think "Searching For a Former Clarity" is Against Me!'s best album yet. Fuck all those kids who whined about the last album lacking the politics of the first album. Fuck all those kids who claim Against Me! aren't punk anymore. Fuck all those kids, it's time to grow up with your favorite band.

Against Me! are playing with the Epoxies, the Soviettes, and Smoke or Fire on Thursday (9/29) at the Magic Stick. Doors are at 6pm, tickets $12. Don't complain, that's a lot of good bands for your money, kids. The Epoxies are a great new wave punk band in the vein of X Ray Spex but with keyboards, the Soviettes are similar but more punk, less synth. Don't know anything about Smoke or Fire. Check it out here: Magic Stick.