RISE AGAINST
Siren Song of the Counter Culture (Geffen)
Reviewed by Jeremy Barker

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Rise Against reminds me what it's like to be in high school all over again. Full of anger at my situation, yet lacking the articulateness to express myself beyond my friends. Screaming at the top of my lungs and trying to make everyone listen to me. Oh yeah, I had a hard time with girls. And that is Rise Against.

They're punk, and they'd like you to know it. Recently coming off of Fat Wreck and signing to Geffen, they're eager to show everyone that they still have control over everything, and they haven't had to scrap their original sound for slicker, more produced pop punk. But instead of maintaining their hardcore originality, they come off more as the little brother of bands like Bad Religion and Pennywise, who've already sold their souls in order to appeal to a wider audience.

But far be it for Rise Against to jump onto the white belt wearing tight shirt sporting scene just yet. They do remain true to their past, if not sacrificing a little to the major label tyrants. Everyone's gotta eat. But what irks me about this album is that I'm sure they could've done better. The Strung Out like opening bombast of "Paper Wings" proves their instrumental prowess. They just seem to lack inspiration, instead cribbing the clippings of the melodic hardcore landscape and hodgepodging them together. It shows especially well in the acoustic break of the same song.

They show promise. But they'd do well to drop the formulaic song structures and the A.F.I. vocal performances. Sure, A.F.I. went on to a huge fan base, but they had to suck to do it. It's not worth it in the long run. They'd do well to try and retain the dignity they have left rather than to pander to the main stream.

© 2005 - Jeremy Barker