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 | Against Me!Searching For A Former Clarity2005 Fat Wreck Chords 
 Review by: Aubin See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on September 6th 2005
I remember the first time I met Against Me!, I was scheduled for an interview, and this was shortly after the release of ...Eternal Cowboy. The band was playing at a tiny little venue in Toronto, just a staircase away from a dimly lit pub. Even though I knew the band was fairly young, having listened to ...Axl Rose and particularly The Acoustic EP, I had an image formed in my head of a quartet of grizzled punk lifers, looking each day like they had spent the previous sleeping on a street corner.
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Say what you want but I think this is Against Me's best album. "searching for a former clarity" is a song i hold dear to me, eventhough this cd is mediocre for AM!, it's still very well composed! I love them! truely amazing album. i really liked this album. it wasnt as good as their older stuff but it was still damn good. definetly better than "eternal cowboy". this album seemed a lot more politically charged than their last release. it also seemed to have more songs that were genuine and written from the heart. "from her lips to god" is a well writen political song and "problems" and "searching for a former clarity" seemed to capture the raw emotional side of tom gabel. Damn. I wish I could get hold of the "stolen demos". So far I've had no luck. *cries* D: I don't know about you guys, but Against Me! definetly dropped off after they signed to Fat. Don't get me wrong it is still good music, but it is no where near as influential as their early recordings. I don't know about you guys, but Against Me! definetly dropped off after they signed to Fat. Don't get me wrong it is still good music, but it is no where near as influential as their early recordings. great review. i never liked against me! never got into them,didn't think they sucked but never thought anything they played,wrote or sang about was exciting in the least. i've heard them,seen them,yeah.nada,nothing. Wow, this album is briliant. They created a masterpiece without selling out. Unlike some idiots, I'm sticking by them and their Sire release next year. oh boo hoo they signed to a major...good for them! cry if they change their sound on the next record on the major....thats the only time people should bitch about things like that. to bad they sold out I definately think that this is their worst CD damn i jus herd the demo of this....its so much better the production on the album makes his voice so irritating "This record is the "London Calling" of this generation." has anyone even read the lyrics to "Even At Our Worst We're Still Better Than Most (The Roller)" seems to be about a lot of people in here.As for them signing to a new label they were already being called sell outs for being on fat wreck chords which is ridiculous.this may not be the greatest album ever but its really not that bad. Hey, Also-don't be pissed at them for changing. I really enjoyed this album, especially after hearing that "stolen" demo that included a bunch of tracks from it. first of all, i'd like to say that this is the first against me! album i ever listened to. before i had only heard 'pints of guinness make you strong' and 'cliche guevara' on compilation cd's. This record is the "London Calling" of this generation. These guys truely are something original in a music scene that is packed with shitty bands that think they're original... when they're really just a carbon copy of every band they look up to. I strongly reccomend you buy this record... NOW! "against me! used to be gloriously amazing back in the day. now they come out with songs like ‘Even At Our Worst We're Still Better Than Most (The Roller)’ first of all, that’s one of the stupidest song names I’ve ever heard. well ok maybe it’s just pretty far up the list. anyway, listen to these pathetic whiny annoying hopeless pussy lyrics that make you want to punch a fucking baby Do yourself a favor and don't buy this cd. Save your money for This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and Defiance, Ohio cds. extremely dissapointed, but i still absolutly love this band and what they did for the punk scene. The only song that reminds me of the Against Me! that i know is Problems Dear Haters... against me! used to be gloriously amazing back in the day. now they come out with songs like ‘Even At Our Worst We're Still Better Than Most (The Roller)’ first of all, that’s one of the stupidest song names I’ve ever heard. well ok maybe it’s just pretty far up the list. anyway, listen to these pathetic whiny annoying hopeless pussy lyrics that make you want to punch a fucking baby Against Me! doesn't have to "surpass" their previous albums in order to make a great fucking record. If nothing else, SFAFC should get you excited to hear some of their old tracks remastered. This album is very good, but not on par with RAR or the Acoustic Ep. I suggest you buy those two and Vivada Vis, and skip As the Eternal Cowboy. okay, here's the truth. you can save yourself a lot of time and money on the Against Me! catalog by buying only "Reinventing Axl Rose" and the Acoustic EP, both on vinyl. They will never surpass these two records. Not a perfect score because of the horns in Miami... sheeeesh. Wow! I think this is at least as good as As the Eternal Cowboy. nice to finally listen to something other than the Sufjan stevens and New Pornographers albums-that is actually good in 2005! Keep on working your 9 to 5s and trashing bands that are doing what they love and probably what you'd love to be doing yourself that is if you had the love or the talent, you leeches. all of the shit that gets said on the internet.... it's cool. you have to believe in it for it to upset you. BUT..... i fucking double dog dare you to actually talk this kind of shit face to face with the people in the band. it's easy to do in the comfort of your home on the computer with no one around, but how do you think it would go down actually looking someone in the eye and telling them how much they suck? do you think you could do it? tell them why you personally hate a group of people that play music. please tell them! be brave.... you can do it! get off of your computer and actually learn to interact. try it. the results would be way more interesting than a bunch of tangents posted on a messageboard that consists of people with way to much time on their hands. (me included) i fucking double dog dare you to actually say some of the shit you are saying (safely typing on your computer) to any of the members of this band. see how brave you are when you actually have to look into someones eyes and discuss something. i guarantee you that you won't be so brave. please do it and see what happens. please. argue with them about how they are sellouts, and see how they respond. have ACTUAL human contact, cause my friends.....this shit is not actual human contact. i fucking double dog dare you to actually say some of the shit you are saying (safely typing on your computer) to any of the members of this band. see how brave you are when you actually have to look into someones eyes and discuss something. i guarantee you that you won't be so brave. please do it and see what happens. please. argue with them about how they are sellouts, and see how they respond. have ACTUAL human contact, cause my friends.....this shit is not actual human contact. i fucking double dog dare you to actually say some of the shit you are saying (safely typing on your computer) to any of the members of this band. see how brave you are when you actually have to look into someones eyes and discuss something. i guarantee you that you won't be so brave. please do it and see what happens. please. argue with them about how they are sellouts, and see how they respond. have ACTUAL human contact, cause my friends.....this shit is not actual human contact. you guys have no idea what shitbags these guys are. they are awful human beings, just awful. I love this album and I love their old stuff, but on different levels. It's two completely different sounds and they shouldn't really be compared. I thought music was about unity, but perhaps I was wrong. Who cares if you grew up in a barn, or if you were born into money, or if you like to go to dance clubs. No one cares. The more I listen to the album the more I am coming to the conclusion that it is really something special. I would have never thought I would have used the word "beautiful" to describe an Against Me! album. Condaleeza is more mature and intelligent than any song Anti-Flag ever wrote. You people are ridiculous! This is an amazing album, it might not be "Reinventing Axl Rose" but it's much better than "As the Eternal Cowboy" (which was also awesome). Instead of worrying about Against Me "selling out" (Because Fat Wreck Chords might as well be Sony, Shell, Walmart, and McDonalds all wrapped up into one, right?) spend your time worrying about something that actually matters. Pretty decent album. FUCK THIS BAND. FUCK THIS REVIEW. FUCK THIS SITE. "This is the internet. It's not possible to walk on the internet. However, you can talk on the internet. This is why you're only seeing talk, and no walk. When modern science allows us to walk on the internet, and whoever-the-fuck you're quoting doesn't walk, then what you're saying won't be stupid as hell." all the haters have aids. aids, aids, aids. will is punx. well just till he gets outta High school. Then he'll toss all his minor threat shirts. "it's like their primary influence was the kill bill soundtrack" Score is for Little Britain. Also I just wanted to add one more post on here cause i sorta feel bad for AM! cause it doesnt seem they get enought attention on this board....no one seems to post comments when it comes too them. Great album, though not as consistent as their previous releases. This will still probably make it into my top 10, but the competition this year isn't that stiff. This is the internet. It's not possible to walk on the internet. However, you can talk on the internet. This is why you're only seeing talk, and no walk. When modern science allows us to walk on the internet, and whoever-the-fuck you're quoting doesn't walk, then what you're saying won't be stupid as hell. oh yea, and dillinger four are the best band ever. i mean it. seriously. they are the BEST band ever. i really wanted to like this cd. i REALLY wanted to like it. i only liked two songs on eternal cowboy but i was hoping they'd win me back. i started listening to against me years ago when it was just tom and some guy on drums (not warren) and i saw them when they were on tour. This is the internet. It's not possible to walk on the internet. However, you can talk on the internet. This is why you're only seeing talk, and no walk. When modern science allows us to walk on the internet, and whoever-the-fuck you're quoting doesn't walk, then what you're saying won't be stupid as hell. "I don't plan on staying young forever, but I will try to uphold my personal ideas of what's right and what's not. If I find something not feasible or unrealistic, I'll probably try to fix it, but so far I've known lots of people who have reached 25 without abandoning their ideals." "Justin" sounds kind of similair to "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam" by the Vaselines. Am I the only one that thinks this. holy shit jones, what did you do down there?? what the fuck was that shit all about down there. Hahaha, now you can't sass me anymore. "Hey, thanks for showing me that post from Chris PIX.... Steve, none of it's online right now. If you want me to email you when it is, I'd be glad to. I released a "trisect split" in a limited quantity of 50 copies once... It's very weird stuff, and you might dig it if you appreciate extreme minimalism and weirdnesscore. Oddly enough, no one who sets up shows has a copy, and I don't care, because they're mostly assholes. Steve, none of it's online right now. If you want me to email you when it is, I'd be glad to. I released a "trisect split" in a limited quantity of 50 copies once... It's very weird stuff, and you might dig it if you appreciate extreme minimalism and weirdnesscore. Oddly enough, no one who sets up shows has a copy, and I don't care, because they're mostly assholes. will, Come on Will, you'd sell out... I'm not upper-middle class at all. My parents didn't buy me a car, I have to save up for college, and I wasn't born with a trustfund. I live in a house that got renovated from a barn forty years ago. While I don't have to worry about getting shot by gangs or drug dealers, I don't have a lot of the comforts many of my suburban peers do. I'm not trying to garner pitty, either, I'm just clearing up the popular misconception on this web site that I hole up on the computer using mommy's bank card to order records all day. I'm on the computer as much as I am because I'm in advanced writing courses. I pre-ordered this from No Idea and dont have it yet... The more I listen to this, the more I like it i read BSD's comments and i wanna respond, then i read Dante's and he already said what i was going to. i hate you Dante. I just bought this cd and I've only listened to it once, but I like it a lot already. You peeps are CUH-RAZY!!! "'Music is one of the few art forms that now costs thousands of dollars to create.' Paying for Music is like Paying for Sex. Eff That! BUY MUSIC. Who Does That? Honestly. Fuck Green Day, Fuck H20, Fuck Franz Ferdinand, Fuck The New Lows and Fuck Spiderman 2 . The music video for "Don't Lose Touch" literally had a shoe-string budget. I mean come on guys. We know you are gonna cash in on us having nothing better to listen to. Make me want to buy your music! "Unprotected Casual Sex With Multiple Partners" rocks. Its Against Me!'s "Take Me Out" or "Cold Shivers" which ever overrated band you want to compare them to today. Honestly people don't question a bands integrity unless there latest release is (in the listeneners opinion) a shitty album. Thats where H20 failed, and dillinger 4 succeeded. Because every dillinger four album pwns. Do yourself a favor and order 3 albums by This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and spend it on those instead of getting this album. Not that SFAFC is the worst ablum I've heard in a long time but is definitely not up to par with their other albums. I really like this band and I have been let down with this cd. The 3 tracks on "The Disco Before the Breakdown" is better than all 14 tracks put together. i'm holding in my shit right now, that way it will feel really good when i have to leave it in the toilet this album is the bomb. seriously. that last song gave me chills. all these songs are strong in their own way. sad to say but this is kind of gay. Because Dillinger Four fought God and won! They can do whatever they want. "Music is one of the few art forms that now costs thousands of dollars to create." Blah, Blah, fucking Blah- Good album! I'm quite sure Dillnger Four have played arenas with Green Day as well. Why does no one question their integrity? "Against Me! didn't sell out." i wish you guys would both hit "enter" more often when you went on rants. This appears to be going somewhere in circles. Here is what you seem to be forgeting. Music is one of the few art forms that now costs thousands of dollars to create. I beleive art and money shouldn't be joined unconditionally but at the same time how do you suppose a band get any message put out there? to the guy who posted this I totally agree with Will on this one Yeah, but you're assuming I find stuff questionable... Plenty of my friends have lost places. Hell, when a band breaks up telling people they weren't making enough money, I tell them that they were in it for the wrong reasons. Making a living is important, and while I don't feel that people have to (I feel fortunate for being able to categorize and number auto parts), I think it's a healthier way to live. I just don't think that business and art have any place mixing- especially with something that supposed to be destroying that way of thinking. ""We'll bordinate the marketing?" Against Me! didn't sell out. ""We'll bordinate the marketing?" Will, I don't discount your comments on music (though we rarely see eye to eye on such matters). I'm talking about your comments regarding most business politics and DIY ethics. It’s easy to make such comments when you’ve never run a business or had to worry about where your next meal comes from. It’s simple to think that the commoditization of punk music by a record label is a cardinal sin if you’ve never had to worry about making ends meet. Your mom is a 7. "And I think most of the "real punks" I knew folded the minute thier first rent check was due. Now I'm not saying anyone here will do that. However, it is my reason for taking a 17 year olds political stance too seriously. the lyrics in this are horrible...touring with Jimmy Eat World and Green Day? No Thanks! I know what happens to bands like these: I wonder if the new propagandhi will top this album? "AXL was a 7" The lyrics are better than ever before. My favorite part of Against Me! was the singalong choruses, and unfortunately this CD has very few. This makes it harder to get into any individual song right away, but this album definitely gets better with every listen. The last two full-lengths from this band were simple and easy and stuck to you the first time. You have to digest these to really appreciate them. Well I'd say the first half of your quote is very tongue-in-cheek. All those PIX board babies were crying about that song right after they rushed to download it the second it leaked. I think that part is fucking hilarious. "We totally sold out the scene!" They're playing on the way that people perceive them now. The second half is either their reasoning for these moves or just a comment on the way that the "scene" operates these days. i think against me is trying to tell us something. with lyrics like ""Mediocrity Gets You Pears (The Shaker)" AXL was a 7 This cd disappoints me... about as much as Cowboy disappointed me after Axl Rose. So that's not saying too much, because Axl was the definition of a 9/10. This is still a decent album, but I was expecting more. Maybe that was unfair, but I don't apologize for setting high standards for bands who've raised them before. all of you have dick 4's on your heads Score is for your comment Jonesy. Pat yourself on the back "- flavor of the months syndrome kicks in, the fans who thought the band was special loose intrest with the hype and the stadium tours with Green Day etc." as far as the whole plan-it x thing is concerned, who gives a fuck if they've got records in the stores when you can order them postage paid for something like three dollars online? "Disco only had 3 songs right? Ony the title track was good the other two were shit off that." Sickboi I'm only 23...Sorry grandpa. But if it makes you feel any better I apparently look like I'm fucking dying. My first day of work someone asked if I was 26 and another asked if I was 30 something, christ my looks are going town the toilet faster than an unwanted pregnancy on prom night. this album is good. none of you have got the balls to be punk anyway so stop talkin shit! i like that its long...one of my biggest gripes w/ 'eternal cowboy' was how short it was I like that it's long. I miss the time when most punk albums that came out had at least 14 songs on them. I love spending ten bucks and getting so much music I almost need two sittings to listen to it all. "but why is it so goddamn long?" see H20, Pennywise etc. for examples "What I'm really concerned about is the lack of growling on this record. I don't think the lyrics are that bad but that song is awful. Pretty much every other song is great, however, and after about three or four listens this becomes better than any of their other cds. good record.. the lyrics in this are horrible...touring with Jimmy Eat World and Green Day? No Thanks! I know what happens to bands like these: The lyrics to "Dont Lose Touch" are so bad that it makes me cringe... anyone else agree? What I'm really concerned about is the lack of growling on this record. Also: I think the whole disagreement comes with people thinking music shouldn't be a business. But without it being a business, tours are harder, good record distro is harder, and more bands break up. I know kids like this that manage to keep their DIY ideals when they're on their own. BUT... So, Dante, we're both 25 and work non-profit. Weird. oh yea, and speaking as a 25 year old, it is about 10000000times easier to be 'punk rock' when you're in highschool or college. oh and i think that guy meant that 'this place is run by a handful of bunch children'. i think I'm not badmouthing DIY ethhics or practices. I thought (and still do) that PIX is a pretty impressive label for doing what they do. I think they sound a little to high on the DIY horse sometimes but I don't know if I could ever recall them shitting on some other label/band. you guys have a whole lot to say don't you?...well...at least a whole lot to type. i bet justin is about JUSTIN SANE selling out!!! Just picked this up last night... i'll be honest i respect will's musical opinion most of the time but his opinion on other things is a different story .......he talks sooo much shit about middleclass people and alll that stuff...but i have a theory that he is actually very well off...i may be wrong but this is what i figure..... we all know he is like 16 or 17.... so this means he doesnt really have a good job or old enough to have his own credit card.... which means he must borrow his parents cc to buy all those rare records and cds he has....and we all know he has a shitload....so as much shit as he talks he lives off of his parents money.....if i am wrong will correct me please don't respond to BSD's stupidity, it only feeds his ego. and yes, i know this post is only feedibng him more. This place is run by a bunch children. I think the boys in AM! are cute. It seems that people here think its impossible to live DIY, or think DIY when not living in your parents basement. i like this record. a lot. i'm a big fan of their earlier lp's, the eps and demo stuff, but i still like this record. the songs themselves are solid. some of them do seem to drag on a little too long on the first few listens, but the more i listen to it, the more i pick up on things i didn't hear the first few times. the sequencing on this is pretty damn flawless, too. the melody's are nowhere near as creative as everything else they've ever done. |
