Reviews > Rise Against
Rise Against Makes A Familiar Appeal
By Johnny Firecloud
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Rise Against are doing their best to stay angry. Teen angst and apathy, the failures of a corrupt administration and a world going to pieces are topics the Chicago hardcore / punk quartet have made their livings writing about. Through brute force and dedicated self-improvement, the band has risen up the ranks of the ranks of rock’s protest heavyweights over the past several years. But how long till the well runs dry? What was it that Mr. Cobain said so long ago? Ah yes: Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I’m bored and old. Sure, there’s plenty to bitch about in the world, and Rise Against has grabbed another fistful for their latest, Appeal To Reason. But there’s a suspect marketability here that dilutes the message considerably, and some of it’s just pure pandering.
You’ve very likely already heard the sweatshop-protest track Re-education (Through Labor), whether you know it or not. It’s all over FM radio, but you could’ve mistaken it for one of the ten other Rise Against songs that sounds precisely the same. Oh hey, an explosive and anthemic chorus with chants and pounding double-time drums. What are the odds…
Look. Re-Education is a good song, and Rise Against know what the hell they’re doing. They’re among the very best of their kind, the new generation of socially aware screamers against the machine. Melodic hardcore with an anti-establishment message has its place, absolutely. But the music is, inarguably, extremely formulaic. You know what you’re getting when you pick up a new Rise Against record- you know when the screams are coming, you can anticipate the inflection right down to the fourth-chorus backup chants. It’s a familiar flavor you can rely on.
So let’s forget about these ridiculous (and blasphemous) comparisons to Black Flag. Hell, it’s not even cool to call them successors to Bad Religion, although it does seem that they used Recipe For Hate as a loose blueprint for Appeal To Reason. But let’s leave the punk rock history book as it is- there’s no new entry to be made here.
Rise Against may be more than fun weekend rebellion music, but give me a break with this “underdogs of society” action. It just doesn’t apply.
Vocalist Tim McIlrath has come into his own as a singer, as evidenced by the single-on-deck Long Forgotten Sons, but his lower registers are still a bit shaky. And lyrically, he’s all over the place. The Teenage Metaphors 101 color-by-numbers emotion of From Heads Unworthy contains the following dealbreaker: We are the children you reject and disregard / These aching cries come from the bottom of our hearts… Really? How old are these guys again?
Clever couplings like This is not a test, this is cardiac arrest don’t do much to help matters. And though the lyrics to Hero Of War may be made up of actual stories from soldiers in Iraq, it’s a shamelessly melodramatic acoustic track that would fit much more appropriately on a Nickelback record. And give me a goddamned break with the military drum roll. The heartstring-tuggery here doesn’t strike me as sincere. Call me numb to pseudo-patriotic propaganda, but I can only listen to the word “flag” or “soldier” so many times in one song.
There may be something wrong with my ears or frame of pop reference, but I’ll be damned if Audience Of One doesn’t sound just like something the Goo Goo Dolls have already done. I can picture it now: Johnny Rzeznik strumming his guitar in his pleather jacket, in front of the train tracks or some shit, singing where haaaave they gone?
And while we’re talking about pop fluff, The Dirt Whispered strikes me as something close to what Bryan Adams would sound like as the singer for Blink 182.
Producer Bill Stevenson helps the band hone their skills to a fine point on Appeal To Reason, loading up the choruses with bells and whistles, and keeping a spit-shine gleam on every note. Rise Against know they’ve got a working formula, and they’re sticking to it. If you’re a fan, you won’t be disappointed with this one. If you don’t like them already, this album won’t do anything for you.
Appeal To Reason
October 7, 2008
Geffen
1. Collapse (Post-Amerika)
2. Long Forgotten Sons
3. Re-Education (Through Labor)
4. The Dirt Whispered
5. Kotov Syndrome
6. From Heads Unworthy
7. The Strength To Go On
8. Audience Of One
9. Entertainment
10. Hero Of War
11. Savior
12. Hairline Fracture (w/ Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio)
13. Whereabouts Unknown
- 01. Collapse (Post-Amerika)
- 02. Long Forgotten Sons
- 03. Re-Education (Through Labor)
- 04. Dirt Whispered
- 05. Kotov Syndrome
- 06. From Heads Unworthy
- 07. Strength To Go On
- 08. Audience Of One
- 09. Entertainment
- 10. Hero Of War
- 11. Savior
- 12. Hairline Fracture
- 13. Whereabouts Unknown
These guys started off great, I think Revolutions Per Minute honestly earned a worthy notch in political punk history, but things have been downhill from there. This album has a couple good tracks, but overall, they’re not who they used to be. Maybe if they go back to hanging out with people like the guys @ Fat Wreck chords, and spend less time with the douches @ Geffen they’ll remember who they are and what they’re fighting for.
These guys are fags.
To be honest, this album, like the Sufferer, was made to be radio friendly as instructed by those fags at geffen/interscope. So far I’ve heard ~4 different Appeal to Reason songs on KROQ in Los Angeles, the most of any of their albums I can remember. Unfortunately, this punk to pop thing happens to the best of em *cough* offspring. It’s still one of the better new albums played on KROQ though. Even poppy RA is better than the gay ass killers, bravery, etc.
yeah you all are a bunch of dumb assholes why dont you go listen to your meaningless crap and leave the only band one earth with a purpose the hell alone. The long forgotton sons is a bad song along with two of the other songs on this CD, however, i have never seen another album in my life that had as many good songs as this. Its not the bands fault you cannot use any form of higher level thinking. This band stands up for they environment and rightfull treatment of animals. You may think thats a bunch of liberal shit but so did i before putting any research into the subject. Rise Against taking these unpopular stands and portraying them in the best music i have ever heard.
I really enjoyed this album regardless if its “radio friendly”. Bands who’s lyrics and main focus of even being in a band that are trying to spread awareness with their music need to get as much attention as they can. The point is to entertain and hopefully open a few minds.
Yeah it might be mainstream music but I would rather people be hearing this album on the radio then any or the pop/hip hop garbage that is so popular. Its not like they are green day who are crazy popular but have no meaning behind their music.
you suck man rise against is fuckin awsome they no and understand what is going on in this world unlike the small brain you have.
at least he can spell. and construct a sentence that makes sense.
Yeah I have to agree with most of the reply’s you are a dumbass. Rise Against is an incredible band that is standing up for what they believe in and doing everything they can to help out the world. So if you’re going to make another empty rant about more things you don’t know I recommend you choose a shitty band first.
you suck at spelling and math. most of the replies agree with the author.
Oh my god they sound different from Revolutions Per Minute wtf I hate this. Oh my god I heard them on the radio they must not be punk anymore I hate them.
That’s what some people here sound like and the reviewer. Stop patting yourself on the back for a few seconds and listen up. Rise Against doesn’t give a flying f**k if there music is angry enough or if they sound like they should. It’s about making music they enjoy making and spreading there overall message and/or opinion on real world issues. So what if they don’t sound like they did; reality check, bands evolve and don’t fall under your pre-concieved notions of what they should be, and in the end that’s true punk.
This article made me want to start crying. I love Rise Against and I will always consider them my favorite band ever. Tim is my idol and my hero, and their music has kept me alive the past few years when shit’s been tough. But I am seeing them going downhill. While I do love Appeal, there is no comparison to The Unraveling or Siren Song. What is more worrisome is that it does have a more mainstream appeal. I don’t believe that they have completely lost themselves and what they were yet, but I do see it coming and that scares me. Also, they do have a place in punk history, though you simply can’t compare them to Black Flag or Bad Religion because they made their mark in a different time and place.
Also, I do agree completely with Justin, above. Bands grow and evolve and do what they want and no matter how much I am in love with The Unraveling, I don’t think I’d want their discography to look like The Unraveling, The Unraveling 2, The Unraveling 3, etc. They are still playing great music and getting a message out there. I’m just worried for where the changes are headed from this point forward. Their mosh pits have already started to show a definitive change towards the mainstream
I loved this album, and sufferer and the witness, can’t say that I’ve hear revolutions per minute but that’s not due to lack of trying. I can’t find that album anywhere and don’t really like buying online… But back to what I was going to say. I found appeal to reason to be full of clever lyrics and who cares how radio friendly it was… As long as they keep up what they are doing ill stay impressed… Even though it had nothing on the album that even compares to how amazing lady gaga’s I wanna take a ride on your disco stick…(Sarcasm)