Against Me!

[bobbob1313]

This is a band that doesn't get near enough love on this board, but they're one of my favorite bands going right now. Anyone else a fan?

[stickman]

I used to listen to them a lot, but haven't much in the past year or two. I was big on Reinventing Axl Rose and As the Eternal Cowboy....actually now that you mention, I really really enjoy Eternal Cowboy. I like everything about it especially the album art. The Cavalier Eternal/You Look Like I Need A Drink single or EP or whatever is one of my favorite album covers.

 

I saw them in either 2002 or 2003, before As the Eternal Cowboy came out and it was great. They were still really small and it was a tiny club and I was really into punk rock at the time so it was great. Anyway good stuff. Haven't really listened to New Wave but I grew to like Searching for a Former Clarity.

[froggie]

I love CCR!

[radiokills]

my friend works at their label, or works with the band themselves, or something, so ive seen them a lot. i enjoy them.

[Reni]

someone gave me one of their records a few year years ago - on vinyl - if I can find it before you come through town, it's yours Chris.

[ction]

"Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" is a great song. The one about Condoleezza is not.

[bobbob1313]

someone gave me one of their records a few year years ago - on vinyl - if I can find it before you come through town, it's yours Chris.

 

That'd be pretty cool, thanks!

[Wilco LP #7]

they're tremendous sellouts. the new album and general approach is a disgrace. that said, reincenting axel rose and as the eternal cowboy are fucking great, as is the overlooked disco before the breakdown ep.

[jmacomber68w]

My friend gave me two against me cds awhile back, one was a studio, and the other was a burned disc called acoustic, I figure it was a boot or something, but the studio was ehhh, but i did like the 5 or 6 songs on the acoustic disc

[bobbob1313]

How the hell do you sell out?

[ction]

How the hell do you sell out?

 

[Guest Rufer]

Ouchy ouch ouch.

[LouisvilleGreg]

they're tremendous sellouts. the new album and general approach is a disgrace. that said, reincenting axel rose and as the eternal cowboy are fucking great, as is the overlooked disco before the breakdown ep.

 

A close friend of mine put out one of their first releases on his punk label, Plan-IT-X Records. Bands he has played in played with them going back to the very beginning, and they were friends. As Against Me got bigger and bigger, they've estranged themselves quite a lot from their early community. A couple of years back, they made my friend stop repressing the cd. Being that he runs a small DIY punk label, a back catalog Against ME release could've gone a long way to afford him the availability of putting out more releases. It's pretty lame all the way around. His label also has recordings by Kimya Dawson of Juno soundtrack fame. That soundtrack has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, yet she hasn't retracted anything. They've definitely burned a few bridges to get where they are.

[stickman]

That's a shame....I love Plan-it-x and what they do.

[bobbob1313]

So they didn't want someone else making money off of their records?

 

Just seems like any time a band moves to a major label and thus has the resources to record an album that doesn't sound like shit, they've sold out. I think the whole punk mentality regarding "selling out" is some of the biggest bullshit in music, and it has been for 20+

[Wilco LP #7]

So they didn't want someone else making money off of their records?

 

Just seems like any time a band moves to a major label and thus has the resources to record an album that doesn't sound like shit, they've sold out. I think the whole punk mentality regarding "selling out" is some of the biggest bullshit in music, and it has been for 20+

 

Well, since the latest album sounds far more like shit than anything else they've done, you're wrong from the get go. How does a band sell out? They sell out by valuing economic success over artistic success, and by contradicting their earlier, die-hard message. RAR was an album mocking the aspects of the industry that they now embody. They're part of the MTV/Rolling Stone/Mainstream Radio machine that they derided in their early music. But, most importantly, the music isn't there any more. It used to kick ass, and now it sucks, it sounds like arena rock bullshit made for middle schoolers. 'nuff said.

[bobbob1313]

So you don't like the new album, then. And instead of just saying "I don't like the album," you have to try to pretend like there's some big fucking crusade going on behind you not liking the album.

 

I think this is probably their best album. So tell me why, without saying "blah blah blah the album sucks", they've sold out. I don't see how they've changed their approach, aside from actually make some money off their records so they can make a decent living.

[solace]

actually this is one case where i'd agree that them "selling out" hurt their music, that last record was awful. and the person above is right... when it changes a band and band members personality for the worst, that's not very good, which in their case it did

 

same thing happened with Anti-Flag after they signed to RCA (even though their records had been going downhill for a while prior)

 

i agree that the whole "Sold Out" phrase is overused today, but that's not to say there aren't plenty cases where it's accurate in the past.

if you've never been part of a punk or ktight nit scene of sorts, i can see how it may be hard to understand, but to write it off as ALL bullshit is a bit naive imo.

 

just in my own personal experience... i've experienced it with a couple local artists/bands here myself even (not gonna name names, but let's just say he's a superstar...)

[ction]

So you don't like the new album, then. And instead of just saying "I don't like the album," you have to try to pretend like there's some big fucking crusade going on behind you not liking the album.

 

I think this is probably their best album. So tell me why, without saying "blah blah blah the album sucks", they've sold out. I don't see how they've changed their approach, aside from actually make some money off their records so they can make a decent living.

 

Calm down, they really did sell out. And their new music is awful.

[LouisvilleGreg]

So they didn't want someone else making money off of their records?

 

Just seems like any time a band moves to a major label and thus has the resources to record an album that doesn't sound like shit, they've sold out. I think the whole punk mentality regarding "selling out" is some of the biggest bullshit in music, and it has been for 20+

 

To give a bit more detail on Plan-IT-X and to blow your theory to pieces. They do tiny press runs of 1,000 cds at a time. Every time they do a press run they give the bands 20% to sell on tour, etc. That's 200 cds. PIX stresses keeping the music as affordable as possible, therefore sells all of their cds postage paid for $5. That's right I said $5. If a band sells the inital 200 out of a press run quickly, the label will sell the band as many more as they need at cost. PIX is the last label in the world making money off of bands. 100% of everything goes back into releasing more records. The bottom line is Against Me sound nothing like that early release anymore, and are now, as has already been stated part of the Mall punk establishment. They are years literally and stylistically removed from playing in laundrymats and basements.

[bobbob1313]

Sorry, I can't swallow "I don't like their new record" as an example of how they sold out.

 

And yeah, in my opinion the term "Selling out" is always bullshit. Any artist deserves to be able to make a decent (or even excessive, if someone is willing to pay it) living. What it comes down to is taste. People who think their albums post "selling out" are bad will cry about it, and those who do like them won't give a shit.

[Wilco LP #7]

So you don't like the new album, then. And instead of just saying "I don't like the album," you have to try to pretend like there's some big fucking crusade going on behind you not liking the album.

 

I think this is probably their best album. So tell me why, without saying "blah blah blah the album sucks", they've sold out. I don't see how they've changed their approach, aside from actually make some money off their records so they can make a decent living.

 

I'm sorry if you're too ignorant to read my last post. It's pretty fucking simple, really. They have contradicted their past ideology, one that they attacked with such conviction that if they were to ever do so they would look like the crappy music making idiots that they now are.

[ction]

Sorry, I can't swallow "I don't like their new record" as an example of how they sold out.

 

And yeah, in my opinion the term "Selling out" is always bullshit. Any artist deserves to be able to make a decent (or even excessive, if someone is willing to pay it) living. What it comes down to is taste. People who think their albums post "selling out" are bad will cry about it, and those who do like them won't give a shit.

 

It's almost like you are posting in a different thread about another band.

[bobbob1313]

It's easy to be idealistic when you're a 17 year old kid with an acoustic guitar, like their lead singer was when he started. He's 27 now, and I'm going to assume he's at least thought about his family and future a little bit. Hard to support anarchy when you actually have real things to worry about.

 

As for the too ignorant comment, you're main beef still seems to be that you don't like the album. Yeah, you also think they changed their message, whatever. If they released an album you liked, I think you'd be much less likely to be angry at them.

 

I don't really see them changing their message in the music all that much on the new album, it just doesn't sound like it was recorded in basement. If by changing their message you mean joining a major label, well fuck if you want people to hear your stuff, you don't really have a choice. It's not like they chose fucking Sony or something. They could have done a lot worse.

 

And also, this might be what is pissing you off, but I think it's very much a pop record. And I don't mind that.

[ction]

And yeah, in my opinion the term "Selling out" is always bullshit. Any artist deserves to be able to make a decent (or even excessive, if someone is willing to pay it) living. What it comes down to is taste. People who think their albums post "selling out" are bad will cry about it, and those who do like them won't give a shit.

 

P.S. Jawbreaker is another band who sold out. Because they signed with a major label after years of publicly stating that they would never sign to a major. The album they did for Geffin, Dear You was awesome, btw.